HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY COL. GKO. M. HOUSTON SECOND REGIMENT ILLINOIS VOLUNTEERS HISTORY SECOND REGIMENT ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY ORGANIZATION TO MUSTER-OUT EDITED BY H. W. BOLTON, CHAPLAIN \\ CHICAGO R. R. DONNELLEY & SONS COMPANY 1899 COPYRIGHT, 1899, BY HORACE W. BOLTON, CHICAGO, ILL. THIS VOLUME IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OK THOSE DEVOTED MEN OF THE SECOND ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY, WHO, WHILE COURAGEOUSLY AWAITING THE SUMMONS TO FACE THE ENEMY OF THEIR BELOVED COUNTRY, FELL VICTIMS TO A MORE INSIDIOUS FOE. THOUGH NOT THEIRS TO MEET A GLORIOUS DEATH IN THE HOUR OF VICTORY UPON THE BATTLEFIELD, NO LESS SURELY DID THEY OFFER UP THEIR LIVES A WILLING SACRIFICE UPON THE ALTAR OF PATRIOTISM. SUFFERING AND PRIVATION THEY FACED WITHOUT MURMUR, AND WITHOUT THOUGHT OF APPLAUSE ; BUT NONE THE LESS WILL THEY LIVE IN THE HEARTS OF THEIR COUNTRYMEN AS TRUE HEROES WHO DIED FOR THE CAUSE OF THE OPPRESSED AND THE HONOR OF THEIR COUNTRY. M150786 CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGF I. HISTORY OF THK SECOND ILLINOIS NATIONAL GUARD - - - II II. SPRINGFIELD, ILL. - 25 III. JACKSONVILLE, FLA. . 32 IV. RIFLE RANGE - 42 V. SAVANNAH, GA. - ^ VI. TRIP TO HAVANA, CUBA 65 VII. THIRD BATTALION'S TRIP TO HAVANA, CUBA - 77 VIII. ORGANIZING HAVANA POLICE 86 IX. HAVANA, CUBA 96 X. CHANGING FLAGS 108 XL CAMP COLUMBIA . 128 XII. HOMEWARD BOUND . 148 XIII. MAINE DAY IN HAVANA 164 XIV. GENERAL A. S. BURT - 169 XV. REGIMENTAL STAFF - 187 XVI. FIELD OFFICERS . 220 XVII. NON-COMMISSIONED STAFF 234 XVIII. COMPANY A 244 XIX. COMPANY B - 259 XX. COMPANY C - 275 XXI. COMPANY D 289 XXII. COMPANY E - - 306 4 CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE XXIII. COMPANY F 3T9 XXIV. COMPANY G - 335 XXV. COMPANY H - 347 XXVI. COMPANY I 36° XXVII. COMPANY K 37° XXVIII. COMPANY L - 383 XXIX. COMPANY M 404 XXX. REMINISCENCES 420 XXXI. MUSTER OUT - - - 438 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ADAMS, LIEUTENANT F. W 254 ALPHONSO XIII. 365 AMBULANCE 41 BAADE, LIEUTENANT ADOLPH 385 BAND 237, 238, 240 BAND STAND 140 BAKERY 147 BARRED WINDOWS 100 BATH, LIEUTENANT L. M 215 BAUDER, LIEUTENANT JOHN 253 BEATY, LIEUTENANT E. A 355 BENNING, CAPTAIN A. A 371 BENES, LIEUTENANT J. D 261 BLANCO, GENERAL 1 18 BOLTON, CAPTAIN H. W 217 BOXING CLUB 312 BONES OF THE POOR 134 BREAKING CAMP 49 BRISTOL, LIEUTENANT G. W 278 BROOKS, CAPTAIN R. E 291 BURNES, LIEUTENANT B. J 321 BURT, GENERAL A. S 170 BYRNE, LIEUTENANT J. G 211 CAMP BOLTON 267 CARS ii7 CASPERS, LIEUTENANT FRANK S 371 CATHEDRAL 103 CEMETERY 165 CHADWICK, CAPTAIN W. A 66 CHAMBERLAIN, LIEUTENANT F. V. S 349 CHRISTMAS 240 COMPANY A 247, 249, 251, 257 COMPANY B 263, 265, 271 5 O LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS COMPANY C 279, 281, 283, 284 COMPANY D 37, 293, 299, 301, 303 COMPANY E 309, 317 COMPANY F 223, 325, 329, 331 COMPANY G 339, 343 COMPANY H 353 COMPANY I 363 COMPANY K 375 COMPANY L 389, 397 COMPANY M 409, 413 CUSTOM HOUSE 123 DANIELS, BUGLER JESSE 242 DOME BUILDING 25, 27 DUSENBERRY, MAJOR W. P 1 1 6, 225 DURAND, LIEUTENANT W. J 349 EVACUATION COMMITTEE 112 FLAG RAISING 109, 123 FREEMAN, LIEUTENANT H. J 371 GARRITY, CAPTAIN J. J 349 GARWOOD, LIEUTENANT J. S 337 GOMEZ, GENERAL 115 GOVERNOR'S PALACE 108 GREENE, GENERAL F 87 IRICSON, LIEUTENANT E. A 405 HARBOR 83 HAUSSNER, LIEUTENANT A. A 405 HAVANA 95 HEADQUARTERS 129 HOLDEN, LIEUTENANT E. F 291 HOSPITAL 39, 137 HOTCHKISS, LIEUTENANT- COLONEL W. D 17, 191 JACKSONVILLE 31 JACK ON ST. PATRICK'S DAY 241 JUDD, COLONEL Louis S 16 KAGLE, G. H 167 KERRICK, LIEUTENANT H. S 291 KODAK FIEND 85 KOEHLER, CAPTAIN F. E 361 LAAS, CAPTAIN F. W 201 LEE, MAJOR-GENERAL FITZHUGH 33 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 7 LINO, CAPTAIN PAUL B 245 LYDSTON, MAJOR G. F 195 MACEO, GENERAL 175 MAINE (WRECK OF) 73 MAIL WAGON 138 MAIR, CAPTAIN THOMAS 1 275 MARQUIS, MAJOR GEORGE P 197 MAYESKIE, LIEUTENANT J. R 337 MCCONOLOGUE, LIEUTENANT T. J 261 MCFADDEN, CAPTAIN J 405 MCFEELY, CAPTAIN WILLIS 337 McKiNLEY, PRESIDENT 442 MEAT MARKET 135 MECHENER, CAPTAIN F. W 209 MESS 63 METCALF, LIEUTENANT W. C 361 MICHIGAN TRANSPORT 66, 69 MOBILE (TRANSPORT) 79 MONUMENTS 54, 150 MORRO CASTLE 71 MOULTON, COLONEL GEORGE M 188 MOULTON, MRS. GEORGE M 44 NUSSBAUMER, CAPTAIN HENRY 307 OFFICERS 427 OFFICERS' MESS 146 OLD GLORY in OSMAR, SERGEANT-MAJOR PETER 234 PACK HORSE 439 PETS 131 PENITENTIARY 92 PRADO 97 POLICE 89, 90 PORTER, LIEUTENANT R. S 213 POSTMASTER 125 PURINTON, MAJOR H. G 227 PURINTON, LIEUTENANT B. S 361 QUARTERMASTER'S DEPARTMENT 160 QUIRK, COLONEL JAMES 12 RAISING THE FLAG 109, 123 REHM, LIEUTENANT A. D 321 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS RIFLE RANGE 42 ROSEBUD (HORSE) 61 ROSENTHRAL, SERGEANT M. S 232 SAUNDERS, QUARTERMASTER- SERGEANT H. R 235 SAVANNAH 52 SENTINEL (BOWERS) 57 SENTINEL (ROBB) 58 SHERWIN, CAPTAIN JAMES P 199 SCHEYING, LIEUTENANT J. P 231 SLAYTER, DR. JOHN 47 SODA FOUNT IN HAVANA 379 SOLDIERS, SPANISH 121 STABLES 141 STANSFIELD, CAPTAIN J. H 321 STEWARDS (HOSPITAL) 236 STREET SCENES 75, 101, 114. 422 STUART, MAJOR JAMES E 219 SUNSET Row 143 S WATER, CAPTAIN J. W 385 TALMAGE, CAPTAIN F. D 206 TEAMSTERS 142 TEMPLE (LITTLE) 106 TENT Y. M. C. A 140 THANKSGIVING DINNER 64 THOMPSON, CAPTAIN S. B 203 TITUS, LEEUTENANT E. H 307 TORPEDO HEADQUARTERS 156 UNFRIED, LIEUTENANT W. J 385 VANNATTA, LIEUTENANT J. E 307 VANZANT, CAPTAIN O. S 252 VICTOR (HORSE) 60 WHEELER, GENERAL H. A 13 WRIGHT, CAPTAIN C. P 261 ZIEGFELD, COLONEL FLORENCE 15 PREFACE The brief, though brilliant, war with Spain which ended so gloriously for the American arms, furnished but limited opportunity for the display of the fighting qualities of the American Volunteer Soldier. Com paratively few of the regiments of the enormous army so rapidly recruited were destined ever to be actually engaged in active warfare before the enemy. In view of the possibility of a more protracted struggle the Government had massed large forces in Southern camps, with the double intention of acclimatizing the soldiers, and of holding them in readiness for trans portation to Cuba, should their services be needed there. The actual hostilities came to an abrupt termina tion with the Battle of Santiago, but the peace negotia tions were still incomplete, and the possibility of com plications arising rendered indispensable the mainte nance of a considerable force in Cuba, and at points in the United States adjacent thereto, for several months after. This service, the most trying, because the most monotonous, that soldiers are called upon to perform, fell to the lot of the Second Illinois. The history of armies in all countries shows that the forced inaction of prolonged camp life is detri mental alike to health and discipline, and consequently destructive to efficiency. There could be, then, no stronger proof of the high military qualities of the Second Illinois than the fact that under these trying conditions, although sickness thinned its ranks, the 9 IO PREFACE spirit which animated its members remained unim paired, while in drill, discipline, and deportment, the command showed rapid and uninterrupted improve ment. While, therefore, the glories of the battlefield were by force of circumstances withheld from the Second Illinois, yet the steadfastness of purpose, the ready obedience to orders, the eagerness to acquire all knowl edge necessary to efficiency, plainly indicated that had events shaped themselves differently the same qualities which placed the regiment easily in the front rank of regiments in the war camps, would have carried their standards to victory in the forefront of battle. The Compiler's thanks are respectfully tendered to Doctors Porter and Bath, Lieut. Gaspers, and others for valuable assistance received in the preparation of this work, and also to the author of "The History of the Second Regiment Illinois National Guard," whence many valuable facts were obtained. HORACE W. BOLTON, Chaplain Second Illinois Volunteer Infantrv. CHAPTER I ILLINOIS NATIONAL GUARD After the close of the War of the Rebellion, the military spirit which had been evoked to so remark able a degree by that great conflict appeared to die away as rapidly as it had been kindled. Thought ful men feared that it might ere long become ex tinct, and another great National emergency find the Nation as little prepared to cope with it as did the crisis just past. Matters were at this juncture when, in 1875, some patriotic citizens of Chicago came to the con clusion that the few semi-military bodies of incon siderable strength, which then composed the city's forces, but ill represented the dignity of a great and growing municipality. These considerations led to the formation of the First Regiment of the Illinois National Guard; and the success of the enterprise led to the raising, a short time after, of the Second Regiment, the sub ject of the present history. In its inception the Second Regiment was com posed of citizens of Irish extraction, and consisted of. one battalion of six companies, Major James Quirk being the first commanding officer. The fol lowing was the roster of the company officers : 12 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT Captains — E. J. Cunliffe, J. J. Higgins, J. Mur phy, William Marsh, Daniel Quirk, D. Ryan, J. A. Eagle. First Lieutenants — J. H. Heaney, P. J. O'Con- COL. JAMES QUIRK. nor, Thomas Meaney, William Marsh, John Lani- gan. Second Lieutenants — D.FoleyJohn McCaffery, William Whalen, J. E. Bourke. In 1876 the Illinois National Guard Act came into force, and the Second Regiment was increased to eight companies, Major Quirk becoming GEN. HARRIS A. WHEELER. 13 H HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT Lieutenant-Colonel. This year the Legislature also provided for the arming of the enlisted men and the provision of armories and encampments. July, in the following year, saw the Second receive its "Baptism of Fire." It was called out to aid in repressing the "Railroad Riots," when their dash and coolness in dispersing the armed and desperate crowds which terrorized the city, fully established its reputation as an efficient and valuable organiza tion. About this time, from various causes which need not here be named, the membership roll became so depleted that it became necessary to consoli date with it the Sixth Battalion, consisting of four companies. Colonel W. H. Thompson succeeded to the combined command. From this time to 1884 few events of note occurred. In July of that year Colonel Thompson was succeeded in the command by Colonel Harris A. Wheeler. Two companies were then disbanded, leaving seven companies still in service. The regiment then moved into new quarters at its present Armory, at Washington Boulevard and Curtis Street. The infusion of new blood and the improvement in the housing soon bore manifest fruit in the marked improvement in the general efficiency of the regiment. In 1886 the "Stock Yards Riots" afforded the Second another opportunity to prove its mettle, and the manner in which the difficult and hazard ous duties intrusted to it were performed, drew ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY '5 forth the well-deserved commendation of General Fitzsimons, under whose command the First and Second Regiments were brigaded. On Colonel Wheeler's resignation in 1889, F. ZIEGFELD. Colonel Florence Ziegfeld took up the reins of command, but after a brief tenure of office he resigned them into the hands of Colonel Louis S. Judd. The year 1893 brought another period of active service to the regiment. In that year occurred the "Lemont Strike," and at the call of Governor Alt- i6 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT geld the Second was hurried through the inclement weather to the scene of strife. The moral effect of the presence of the military force proved suffi cient to calm the more turbulent spirits among the COL. LOUIS S. JUDD. strikers, and the necessity for a resort to force was happily avoided. On January 29, 1894, Colonel Judd was suc ceeded in the command by Colonel George M. Moulton, who had previously filled the appoint ment of Inspector of Small Arms Practice of the First Brigade. ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 17 Once more, on July 6, 1894, the regiment was called into active service for the protection of the lives and property of the citizens of Chicago. When it became evident that the strike of the L1EUT.-COL. W. D. HOTCHKISS. employes of the Pullman Palace Car Company was destined to failure, the aid of the all-powerful American Railway Union was invoked, with the result that in a short space of time the entire rail road system was tied up, a reign of terror had been established, and the utmost efforts of the civil authorities to establish order were fruitless. On iS HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT July 8th the proclamation of President Cleveland, with its impressive warning to the rioters, was issued, but fell practically unheeded. When the Governor's orders for the mobilization of the regi ment were received the call of the commanding officer was responded to \vith the greatest prompti tude, considerations of distance and personal incon venience or sacrifice being utterly disregarded, the call of duty alone being held paramount. The regiment rapidly assembled at its Armory and on receiving definite orders, proceeded by train to Hyde Park and reported for further orders to Inspector of Police Nicholas Hunt. By his directions the First Battalion, under command of Lieutenant-Colonel William D. Hotchkiss, pro ceeded to Englewood and reported to Police Cap tain Aldrich at that station, while Colonel Moulton, with the remainder of the regiment, was directed to report to Captain O'Neill at the Police Station of the Nineteenth Precinct. It being found im practicable to move the troops by train to Halsted Street on account of the blocking of the tracks by the rioters, the command loaded their impedimenta on wagons, and, forming column of route, marched to Halsted and Forty-eighth Streets. Two com panies were assigned to duty at the Stock Yards, and the remainder went into bivouac for the night. On the following day the command took posses sion of a ball park conveniently situated for a camp ing ground, where they were shortly after joined by Battery D and Troop A of the artillery and ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 19 cavalry of the Illinois National Guard, the whole being established as a military post, under the designation of "Camp Wheeler," in honor of the previous commanding officer of the Second. A number of stations were designated to which, from time to time, companies or smaller bodies were detached. At these stations the troops were con stantly on duty in periodical reliefs, which were more or less regular, as occasion permitted, or necessity demanded. Company C, under Captain Thomas I. Mair, especially distinguished itself in an encounter with a furious mob at the Grand Trunk Railway Forty- ninth Street tracks, between Loomis Street and Ashland Avenue, when the conduct of Company C in protecting a train at the imminent danger of their lives, was particularly praiseworthy. In fact it is difficult to determine which merited the greater approbation, the steadiness, coolness and self-possession of the Guardsmen while the com mands of their Captain held them in check, or the dash and resolution with which they took the offen sive when their commander decided that bloodshed could no longer be avoided. As soon as it could be effected, Company C was reinforced by other portions of the command, but so well had Captain Mair's men done their work that the reinforcements found little to do on their arrival. One officer and four men somewhat severely wounded, and a considerable number slightly so, proved that the conflict had been no child's play. HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT Another exciting experience was that of a detachment of Company A, under Captain Sam uels, and Company F, under Captain Kelly. The detachment was sent to reinforce Company F, which had been attacked by a mob in considerable force at Forty-ninth Street tracks and Ashland Avenue. The combined forces were compelled to repeatedly charge the mob at the point of the bay onet, but it was fortunately found unnecessary to open fire. The energy and determination dis played by the officers and men of the Second Regi ment at this critical juncture undoubtedly con tributed largely to impress upon the rioters the fact that the community would and could be pro tected against their lawless attempts to overthrow the safeguards thrown around it by the strong arm of law and justice. After this display of force the rioters ventured no pitched or open encounter with the men whose bravery and determination they had experienced, but under cover of darkness many were the savage attacks with stones and other missiles upon individual sentinels. The use of dynamite was openly proposed among the riot ers, and intelligence of this reaching the alert ear of the commanding officer, an outpost picket line around the camp was established and maintained until the end of the strike, while the district was constantly patrolled by parties, both mounted and on foot, the cavalry rendering useful service in this regard. On the evening of July loth, at a meeting of the ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 21 police and railway authorities, at which Colonel Moulton was present, a determination was arrived at to resume traffic operations, which had been totally suspended, on the following morning. Two companies, under the command of Major Dusen- berry, with the cavalry troop, were accordingly ordered to the stock yards. The first train moved out, manned by Company G, of the Second, under Captain Willis McFeely, with explicit orders to fire on any persons who should attempt in any way to obstruct its progress; and further, that the throw ing of any missile at a soldier should be considered sufficient justification for shooting, and shooting to kill. Troop A was deployed at the several street crossings along the track from Halsted Street east to Wentworth Avenue. The precautions taken were sufficient, and the train reached its destina tion without serious opposition. Captain Vander- kloot, with Company E, soon followed, in charge of a two-section train, which also performed its journey safely. Another train, however, which was attempted to be run without military protection, was disconnected by the crowd. The Bicycle and Signal Corps of the regiment abundantly proved their usefulness, forming a rapid and efficient means of communication between the widely separated bodies of the command. It may be said that this was the first occasion on which the regiment had really received from the public the meed of praise that was its due. This time, however, the value of its services had been so HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT patent, and so plainly seen, that the approbation it so well deserved could hardly be withheld, and it will be long before Chicago forgets what it owes to its citizen soldiers. For nearly four years after its experience of active service in the stock yards district the Second led an almost uneventful existence, the social side of the organization being most in evidence, the only events worthy of note being its presence, in 1896, at the inauguration of Governor John R. Tanner. During the annual encampment of that year General Merritt, commanding the Depart ment of the Lakes, was the guest of General Wheeler, the Brigadier. But exciting times were coming, for which the drill and discipline which had been steadily kept up during this uneventful period, had been prepar ing the command, although probably none of the boys even dreamed that the careful training he was receiving would ever be put to any severe practical test. But the lull precedes the storm, and when, on February 15, 1898, the intelligence of the treacherous destruction of the United States Bat tleship "Maine," at her anchorage in Havana har bor, was flashed to this country, public indignation leaped to the boiling point. American patriotism demanded satisfaction for the outrage to the flag, and vengeance for the cowardly murder of its gal lant seamen. Still, obedient to its National prin ciples of right and justice, America waited, though with a growing impatience as the time went on, ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 23 until the guilt of Spain should be established beyond peradventure. The calm was ominous, and when at length the result of the protracted inquiry was given to the world, the wrath of a great Nation flamed forth. Eagerly the President's message calling the country to arms, was awaited, and when it came, on April 25, 1898, the brain and bone, the muscle and sinew of the land, flew to answer it. East, West, North, and South sent their sons to fill the ranks to march against the foreign foe. Foremost in responding to the summons were the men from the Empire City of the West. At the tocsin's sound Chicago's sons poured from factories and workshops, from offices and stores, burning to emulate the brave deeds of their fathers, and ready to do and die for their country's cause and honor. Where were now the pessimists who' had been preaching that Americans had fallen from the high standard of patriotism set up by their forefathers, and that the Nation had become enervated and its higher instincts deadened by selfish interests and worldly cares? Instead of such proving to be the case, the old warriors of the Civil War were constrained to acknowledge that their experience could recall no> examples of loftier enthusiasm, more vigorous manhood, more complete forgetful- ness of self than were shown by the boys of '98. Conspicuous among those regiments, whose promptness in rallying to the flag excited the ad miration of the world, stood the Second Regiment 24 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT of the Illinois National Guard, whose members now reported themselves at the regimental Armory with the steady demeanor of the veteran. No picnic this, the boys well knew, stern duty was what was expected, and the Second stood ready to perform it, come what might. April 26, 1898, will long be remembered by West Siders in Chicago. The order for the mobilization and rendezvous at Springfield of the National Guard had been received from the Governor of Illi nois, and the Second was to take the train that even ing. All the afternoon crowds had been gathering in the vicinity of the Regimental Armory until, as the hour for departure approached, belated mem bers of the Guard found it a difficult task to strug gle through the concourse of people to the place of assembly. As far as the eye could reach along Washington Boulevard, and on the streets cross ing it, could be seen an apparently interminable sea of faces, many of them straining to catch the last glimpse of dear ones they feared never to see again. At last the time arrived, and amid deafen ing cheers, which drowned the strains of the band, the Second, with colors flying, slowly forced their way through the masses of people to the depot. No description could possibly do justice to the scene there as the boys were gradually got on board the trains which were to bear them away, and at length the first section pulled out for the State rendezvous at Springfield. CHAPTER II SPRINGFIELD Springfield was reached at 7 a. m., on April 27, 1898, after an all-night ride on a Chicago and Alton special train, and the regiment marched into the State Fair Grounds, where the troops were ordered to rendezvous. After several hours' waiting, the DOME BUILDING, SPRINGFIELD, ILL. 25 26 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT Second Illinois received instructions to take up their quarters in the Dome Building, and marched in, some of the companies being stationed on the main floor, and others upstairs in the galleries. Next day the troops settled down to work. Squad drill was the order of the day. There were 1,580 men in the regiment, about 700 of them being fresh enlistments, and consequently no time was to be lost in getting them into shape. The rainy weather which rendered so uncomfortable our stay in the Fair Grounds began to show itself ; and the amateur cooks commenced to find out the difficulties which beset a military chef in wet weather in camp. On the 29th, the soldiers were aroused by the news of the silencing of the Matanzas batteries by Sampson's fleet, but the excitement then was insig nificant compared with the burst of passionate en thusiasm which greeted the intelligence, received May 2d, of the destruction of the Spanish fleet by Dewey. The Dome and other buildings occupied by the troops were shaken to their foundations by tremendous outbursts of cheering, and the spec tacle was one never to be forgotten. Drill went on daily, and strict discipline was enforced so far as it was possible to do so. No enlisted men were allowed out of camp, though of course, where so many of the volunteers still wore their citizens' garb, it was quite impracticable to prevent many of them from leaving bounds with out permission. ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 27 Sundays in Springfield were gala days. The railway companies ran cheap excursions from Chi cago and other points within the State, and throngs of passengers rewarded their enterprise. The Fair Grounds, on these occasions, were crowded with visitors, friends or relatives of the soldiers, anxious COMPANY IN DOME BUILDING. to see the last of their boys. The wretched weather, however, probably kept a,way many visitors who would otherwise have been desirous of seeing this great gathering of the Illinois forces. The weather was damp and cold all the time, 28 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT with the exception of an occasional — very occa sional — spell of sunny weather. The soil of the Fair Ground was a thick, greasy, non-absorbent clay, and the discomfort was considerable, aggra vated as it was by deficiencies in bedding, clothing, and rations. However, in the excited and enthu siastic state of mind prevalent, these things were but trifles. On May 4th the important work of mustering into the United States service commenced. An Inspection Depot was established at the Capitol Building, whither the regiments were marched in turn to be examined by the surgeons. It had been supposed that the test would not be a severe one, but such expectations were doomed to disappoint ment. Many men who had never dreamed of rejection, found themselves peremptorily "turned down ;" while others, who had anticipated trouble, passed on and were mustered by Captain Eben Swift, of the Fifth United States, the mustering officer. On May I2th and I3th the regiment "passed the doctor," Col. Senn, Captain Birmingham, U. S. A., and others being the examining officers. There were a good many rejections, but as unsuitable men had been considerably weeded out at regi mental inspections, fewer men had now to be dropped than was the case in most of the other organizations. On Saturday, May I4th, the men rejected wrere sent home, their faces showing how bitter the disappointment was. ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 29 May 1 5th the final ceremony of mustering into the United States service was completed. It was a most impressive ceremony, com pany after company falling in, answering to the roll call, and finally, with bared heads and upraised right hands, taking the oath which changed them from National Guards into United States soldiers, the ceremony being closed in each case with hearty cheering. Now came vaccination, which all and every newly enlisted man, nolens volens, was compelled to submit to, and which sowed the seed for a plen tiful crop of sore arms a little later on. On May ifth the First Illinois left for Tampa, Florida,, and the Second received orders to be held in readiness to proceed to the same place for em barkation for Cuba, From that time forward the business of prepar ing for departure to the front occupied the ener gies of everyone. Quartermaster's supplies, rifles, ammunition, and the thousand and one things had to be obtained, until on the 2Oth all was ready, and the three-section train, bearing the regiment, rolled out of Springfield, south bound. To most of the men the journey they were mak ing was a novel and interesting one. Ohio, Ken tucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, were passed through, presenting scenes quite unfamiliar to the boys from the North, and at every town and city the regiment received an enthusiastic recep tion, which culminated in a perfect ovation at 30 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT Albany, Georgia, a place that will always hold a place of honor in the memories of the boys of the Second. At Waycross, Georgia, the thunderbolt fell. Orders were there received to divert the regiment from its original destination and send it forward to Jacksonville, Fla. Telegraphic inquiries brought confirmation from Washington, and nothing was to be done but to accept the inevitable, but a pre sentiment seemed to warn the men that this order was to be a death-blow to their cherished hopes of active service against the common enemy. At 9:30 p. m., we arrived at Jacksonville, stay ing in the cars all night, and at 6 a. m., the regiment left the train and marched to the camping ground. No tents were at first provided, and shelters were speedily improvised with blankets, etc., and in a short time the thick underbrush was cleared away and the camp, or rather bivouac, began to assume an inhabitated appearance. Soon more woolen blankets were issued, and a few rubber ones, then shelter-tents were distributed, and the Second set tled down for what was destined to be a long stay in Jacksonville. CHAPTER III JACKSONVILLE. The Second Illinois enjoys the distinction of hav ing been the first regiment of the Seventh Army Corps into camp at Jacksonville. It was brigaded with the First North Carolina and Second New Jersey, under the command of Brigadier-General Andrew S. Burt, the three regiments composing the First Brigade, Second Division, Seventh Army Corps. The camp site assigned to the regiment appeared at first glance a desirable onej but as subsequent events proved, a worse choice could hardly have been made. The frequent rains converted the low- lying flat ground, full of decayed roots and other vegetable matter, into a veritable swamp, reeking with vapor, which the fierce rays of the Florida sun caused to exhale, laden with deadly malaria, resulting in the outbreak of sickness which nearly decimated the Seventh Army Corps. On the 2d of June the regimental chaplain, the Reverend Frank DeWitt Talmage, resigned his position on account of ill-health, and the appoint ment was tendered to the Reverend Horace W. Bolton, D.D., who had previously served for five years in the regiment as Chaplain. 32 MAJ.-GEN. FITZHUGH LEE. 33 34 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT Dr. Bolton, who was stationed in West Superior, Wisconsin, accepted the call, and left his home at once for Springfield, Illinois. In this hour of alarm all the ministry, everywhere, seemed anxious to do all in their power to serve their country. Reaching Springfield after a long railway journey which was commenced in overcoat and blankets and terminated in shirtsleeves, so great was the difference in temperature, Dr. Bolton was, by direction of Secretary Alger mustered in by Lieut. Ballon and set out to join his old regiment at Jack sonville. Camp Cuba Libre, as the camp had been aptly named by General Fitzhugh Lee, the corps com mander, was at that time a charming sight. Tall palms shaded the camp in all directions, and water had been brought in pipes from the fine city water works, and could be had in abundance. Bath houses had been erected, and an ice water tank was in every regiment. The water was slightly tinc tured with sulphur, but was bright and wholesome. At first there was little sickness in camp. Wooden shacks had been erected all around the camp, where various eatables and drinkables were dispensed to the troops, to the great profit of the owners of the stands, but whose value to the soldiers was hardly so evident. Too little supervision was exercised over these people, and the quality of the supplies furnished by them left much to be desired, and probably would account for some degree of the subsequent sickness. Inferior or unripe water- ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 35 melons and other fruits, doubtful ice-cream, and ill-made pies and cakes formed an addition to the soldiers' rations which might well have been dis pensed with, yet many of the younger men con sumed considerable quantities of all these things, washing them down with copious libations of indif ferent lemonade, to the great derangement of their internal economy. The city of Jacksonville presented a lively appearance at this time. The handsome streets were thronged by officers and soldiers of all ranks, major-generals, colonels, non-commissioned offi cers and privates mingling in the brilliant crowd. A noticeable result of this military occupation of the place was its effect upon the prevailing mode of dress of both the male and female population, the men assuming campaign hats and leggings, while the ladies favored a jaunty adaptation of the same hat, and sported regimental badges and brooches. Military buttons were also in great demand, in fact, during the time the regiment was in the South, had the boys acceded to all the requests which were made to them for these necessary articles, safety- pins would have been at a premium. The sojourn at Jacksonville was no holiday time to the soldiers, and none were given less leisure than the boys of the Second. Fully expecting that the command would shortly find itself before an enemy in the field, the officers, from the command ing general down, spared no efforts to render their commands as efficient and complete in all respects, 3 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT and as conversant with their duties, as the limited time of preparation admitted of, while the soldiers responded with enthusiasm and intelligence to the instruction they received. Every day showed an advance on the previous one; battle formations were constantly practiced, and a high degree of proficiency was attained in a surprisingly short space of time. Sundays alone brought a brief space of leisure. In the afternoon the regiment would fall in, on the sounding of the beautiful and solemn "Church Call," and march to the large tent erected by the Young Men's Christian Association, where the earnestness and fervor with which the soldiers of the Second joined in the services showed their value also as "Soldiers of the Cross," Nothing could exceed the enthusiasm of the men for their idolized General, Fitzhugh Lee. Whenever the General passed through the camp, the men crowded to see and cheer him. Among the people of the South, of course, the name of Lee was one to conjure with. The General told the writer a good anecdote of the unpleasantness of bearing a name made historic by someone else. When Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomat- tox, Fitzhugh started for home, and on the way people rushed to meet him and beg the latest news. "What are you going this way for?" demanded a dozen men. "Oh, it's all up, Lee has surrendered." "Not Robert," they cried, "Never. Maybe that bull-headed Fitzhugh, but not Robert. No, sir!" 37 3 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT A time was coming when the boys would need all the elasticity of spirits and all the enthusiasm they could muster, to sustain them. The rains descended and the floods came, and it rained till it seemed impossible for more rain to fall, and then it rained still more heavily. The men's tents, their clothing, and all their belongings, were saturated all the time. Cooking was almost out of the ques tion, and for days and days at a stretch the boys would be wet to the skin, having no change of gar ments, and sleeping in their leaky tents in the sodden clothing they had worn all day. The camp ing ground being low, level and sandy, absorbed enormous quantities of water, which, however, did not drain off, but collected below the surface. At length there came a time when the sodden soil could receive no more, and the surplus lay about, forming miniature lakes everywhere, some parts of the camp being quite under water. These causes soon made the sick rate go up with alarming ra pidity. Malarial fever made its appearance, soon to be followed by its deadly relative, typhoid. Yet, strange as it may appear, the soldiers "to the manor born" proved less able to withstand the effects of the climate than their brothers from the North, for the boys from Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin and Dakota suffered less than the soldiers from Vir ginia, the Carolinas, Florida, and Mississippi. This puzzled the surgeons, but was an undoubted fact, which might probably be attributed to the supe rior physique of the Northerners. ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 39 Disappointment at being held back from service at the front, whither the desires of all the officers and men tended, no doubt had its share in render ing the men's constitutions receptive to the mala rial poison. It is a well known and indisputable fact that it is not during an active campaign, where REGIMENTAL HOSPITAL, JACKSONVILLE, FLA. excitement succeeds excitement, that soldiers become sick — they have then no time to do so — but it is during the weary months of waiting in camp either before or after a war, that disease does its work. Men lose ambition with no object in 4° HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT sight. An order to prepare for Cuba without delay would have prevented much of the sickness which took place at this time, when the excessive heat and the rain compelled a considerable cessation of the daily drills, and consequently gave the soldiers more leisure and opportunity for moping and becoming homesick. Rumors of an early depar ture were rife, and sometimes one a little better authenticated than usual would arouse temporary enthusiasm, only to be followed by the inevitable reaction when time proved the absence of founda tion for the report. Nothing could exceed the popularity with all ranks of Brigadier-General Andrew S. Burt, whose presence was everywhere, and who mingled the authority of the general officer with the bonhomie of the old soldier in such a manner as to endear him to everyone. Numerous stories are told, both of and on the gallant General. One goes that one evening, hearing a great deal of shouting all through the brigade, General Burt walked from his tent over to the Second Illinois guard line and asked a sentinel the occasion of the cheering. When he was told that it was on account of the New Jersey having meat for supper, the General ordered the man to report at his tent when relieved from guard, and when seen coming from thence the soldier had a cheerful face and was smoking a good cigar. Toward the end of August the fevers increased to an alarming extent. The medical staff seemed ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 41 AMBULANCE. baffled. The Division Hospitals were crowded, and the sick reports were filled every morning. The frequent deaths cast a gloomy feeling over the whole command, and the arrival at a company of a mounted orderly from the hospital came to be well known as the announcement of another com rade gone. Many of our best men succumbed dur ing this and the succeeding month. The press, North and South, added to the dismay by exaggerated and alarming reports, and parents and friends at home were terrified beyond measure. CHAPTER IV RIFLE RANGE At length it was decided, as a sanitary measure, to abandon the camp, and another site, two miles to the north, was selected, whither, after breaking camp, the troops proceeded. Here the ground was much higher, and the change bore rapid fruit in the improvement in the health of the soldiers. RIFLE RANGE. 42 ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 43 No car line ran to this camp, and the roads lead ing to the city were soon badly cut up by the unwonted traffic of heavy arnfy wagons. Hacks, carts, and busses of all kinds were quickly in evi dence to earn money by transporting officers and soldiers to and from Jacksonville, and the inevita ble wooden shacks and shooting galleries sprang up like mushrooms. Close by the Second Illinois camp was the Rifle Range, which had been laid out by military labor, and was excellently contrived. Every day firing was going on, each regiment in camp having rifle practice about every ten clays. These practice days were red-letter ones, and were eagerly looked forward to by the boys, wrho made very creditable averages, excellent scores being compiled in many cases. The field officers of the regiment, Lieuten ant-Colonel Hotchkiss and Majors Dusenberry and Purinton, by turns superintended these practices, and it speaks well for the watchfulness and care of these officers, as well as for the company com manders, that in spite of the inexperience and un- familiarity with the handling of firearms of the majority of the men, no accidents ever occurred on the Rifle Range. Great efforts were made by Chicago friends of many of the men to obtain the "muster out" of the Second Illinois, but to the credit of the men it may be said here that these attempts \vere not as a rule prompted by the men themselves, who held them selves ready for any service the country might 44 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT demand of them. Volunteer regiments by the dozen were being disbanded, and it was felt that the war was practically at an end. Yet the pre vailing wish in the Second was that they should at least see, and do some service for the land they had enlisted to save from the grasp of Spain, and it was MRS. MOULTON AND CLASS. felt by everyone that further and faithful work was yet to be done before the task to which this country had set itself should be complete. While in this camp General Burt ordered the closing of all canteens and shacks in the brigade, ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 45 on the ground that the goods sold in them were not of good quality; and although this was an un popular step, there is little doubt that it was a wise one. During the trying time of the sickness the serv ices of Mrs. Moulton, the wife of the Colonel, were untiring. This lady, who from the first had accom panied the regiment, organized a hospital ward auxiliary to the Regimental Hospital, in which men who were ailing could be taken care of and receive many little comforts difficult to obtain in a big Division Hospital, among strangers. Into this hospital, too; were received such men as had been under treatment in the Division Hos pital, and on discharge found themselves, though convalescent, still too weak for active duty. These tents were filled up with every comfort of which a camp infirmary is susceptible, and many a soldier of the Second Illinois, now alive and well, owes his life to Mrs. Moulton's ministrations in the Conval escent Hospital. The men had already realized what a godsend the wife of the Colonel was to the regiment while in camp at Springfield. She sewed on buttons, mended rents, placed a motherly hand upon the feverish brow of the patients in the hospital, and was in all places where a mother's intuition and kindness led the way. There was something touching in the sight of the private hastily slipping his hat from his head when Mrs. Moulton passed. Before many days passed Jacksonville society 4 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT attempted to claim Mrs. Moulton. But the "mother of the regiment," entirely wrapped up in "her boys," let invitations remain unaccepted and set to work plying the needle and ministering like some kind angel to the sick. Those who were hungry for a tender word and longing for home received consoling words, and everywhere her pres ence carried good cheer and love. Mrs. Moulton is worthy of all the praise that the men of the Second bestow upon her unstintingly. The comparatively small death record of the regi ment was largely due to her personal work at Jack sonville and later at Savannah. She was always in camp and ever looking after the comfort of the sick and caring for all who were in need of such offices as only a mother can suggest. The Regimental Hospital staff had a hard time of it at Jacksonville, with the result that Major Marquis broke down and had to proceed home on sickleave, throwing the burden onto the shoulders of Lieutenant Porter, who remained at his post until he succumbed to the deadly typhoid fever; when two contract surgeons, Doctors Bath and Slayter, were attached to the regiment until the recovery and return to duty of the regular medical officers, when Dr. Slayter returned to his home. The services of these two officers were greatly appreciated by the command, and Dr. Bath was eventually commissioned by Governor Tanner as an assistant surgeon of the regiment. The food of the soldiers left much to be desired, ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 47 DR. SLAYTER. and no doubt greatly contributed to the amount of sickness. The trouble was not merely the bad ness in quality of the rations issued, but their want of suitability to the climate, and lack of variety. True, the United Service Regulations direct that substitutes may be issued, but such substitutes were very rarely to be obtained, while trading undesired food for other articles preferred, though no doubt possible at a post, becomes utterly impracticable where an army is encamped, for the market is soon glutted, and such articles as the sol diers do not want are not wanted by anyone else. 4° HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT Salt pork and hard-tack, for instance, can at such times hardly be given away. Toward the close of the stay of the regiment in Jacksonville, a regimental bakery was established, the excellent bread from which considerably im proved the rations, as regarded both quality and quantity. The cool weather which now prevailed began to have a marked effect for good upon the health of the soldiers, and the rapid diminution of the sick list in consequence raised the spirits of the men and induced a more cheerful frame of mind, which in itself had all the effect of a tonic. During our stay in Jacksonville we experienced the full force of a Southern cyclone. The wind blew at the rate of 68 miles an hour for 36 hours, carrying everything before it, tents, trees, fences, and shacks filling the air, while the rain was falling in floods. Trees came crashing down, tents split and blew away, and everything was in confusion. A shout was heard that the hospital was going, and men seized and hung to the guy ropes, the wind sweeping them off their feet. The large Y. M. C. A. tent was down, and we obtained ropes from it with which we secured smaller tents and carried the sick into them, when down went the hospital. Night came on with 1,200 men as wet as drowned rats, without a dry blanket or coat. The medical officers served out whisky and quinine to the men, which no doubt to some extent obviated the results of the soaking. 49 5° HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT On the 2 ist of October the long-looked-for order arrived for rhe regiment to proceed to Savan nah, Georgia, to await embarkation to Cuba, and though the news did not arouse so much enthusi asm as it would have had it arrived a few months earlier, still it was welcomed with all the soldier's proverbial eagerness for a change. Colonel Moul- ton at this time rejoined from a short and well- earned leave of absence, and at noon, October 24th, the "General" sounded, the camp was struck, and the regiment proceeded to the railway siding to take the train. However, the inevitable hitch oc curred in the transport arrangements, and it was not until 3 :2O o'clock the following morning, that the regiment was safely on board the cars, and en route for Savannah. CHAPTER V SAVANNAH October 25, 1898, the regiment arrived at Savan nah, Georgia, after passing through some of the worst country it had ever been our lot to see. The sunken lands of St. Francis, in Arkansas, are eleva tions compared with the country along the line of the Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad be tween Jacksonville and Savannah. The regiment went into camp on a grassy slope about a mile and a half from the city, the site being the same on which was encamped the old Thirty-third Illinois in 1864. The camp was, in the absence of the corps commander, temporarily designated "Camp Lee," but on his return the name was changed by his order to "Camp Onward;" the significance of the change being readily understood by all soldiers of the Seventh Army Corps. Savannah is distinctly a military city. Every where about the city and its surroundings one is confronted with armories, military monuments, forts, and earthworks of every variety. Major Purinton had been stationed, during his service in the Civil War, within a short distance of the very place where his tent was pitched in 1898. The Civil War defenses of the city of Savannah still 51 52 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT remain, except where they have been leveled to allow for the expansion of the city. Three lines of defense were built, including river batteries, etc. Forts Pulaski, Jackson, and McAllister were the most noted of the river batteries and fortifications. SAVANNAH, GA. The second line was what was known as the interior line of defense. This was almost semi-circular in contour and distant from the city an average of three-fourths of a mile. The line was intended to resist any direct assault upon the city, should the attacking force succeed in passing the exterior line. ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 53 The curtains were not of the same heavy char acter as the lunettes, but consisted of rifle pits and lighter entrenchments. Fort Boggs, on the left of the line from the city, was a heavy bastioned work about an acre and a half in area. Fort Brown was also a work of some importance on this line. The earthwork crosses the Thunderbolt shell road near our camp and the last named fort is near by. The outer line of works is from four to seven miles from the city, and consists of detached works continuously connected with rifle pits. The natural defense must have been very strong, the swamps and lowlands in front of the line being now almost impenetrable. This line was held for eight days against General Sherman, but, like the pro verbial saying concerning the success of American arms, Uncle Billy "got what he went after." Nowhere in the South is the military esprit du corps maintained with more ardor and enthusiasm than in Savannah. The chivalric spirit of the fol lowers of old General Oglethorpe, who landed on what is called Yamacran Bluff, in 1733, has never subsided. One full regiment, part of another, and a squadron of the First Georgia cavalry went to the volunteer army for the Spanish War. During the Civil War Savannah furnished over three thousand troops to the Confederate service. Its leading mili tary organizations are the First Volunteer Regi ment of Georgia, Chatham Artillery, Savannah Volunteer Guards, and the Georgia Hussars, all of which antedate the Civil War by more than half a 54 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT century. The Chatham Artillery, the oldest artil lery battery but one in the United States, was or ganized May i, 1786. It is an interesting fact that the Chatham artillery furnished from its member ship over fifty officers for the Confederate service. In front of their armory stand the Washington guns, so called from their having been presented to the battery by General Washington. They are relics around which cluster memories of many his torical events. They are French guns which were captured by the Colonial and British forces in Can ada during the French and Indian War, and were SERGEANT JASPER MONUMENT. ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 55 afterward used against the Americans in the Revo lutionary War, being surrendered by Cornwallis at Yorktown. The guns were too light to be used in the Civil War — the War of Secession, as it is uni versally called down here — and the Chatham artil lery, before evacuating the city, buried them to keep them from falling into the hands of the Union forces. They remained underground until 1870, when Georgia, having regained her position as a sovereign state, and having the right to an armed force, they were resurrected and mounted on new carriages. Savannah cemeteries are all very pretty and inter esting. Laurel Grove is the principal burial place, however. It is situated on high ground, sur rounded by native forests, and is a picturesque and beautiful place. Here lie nearly fifteen hundred Confederate dead, heroes of the lost cause. Each grave is marked by a neat marble headstone. Bon- aventure Cemetery is four miles from the city on the banks of the Thunderbolt river, and its natural scenery, with its historic associations, render it one of the most interesting places near Savannah. The old burying ground on South Broad street, how ever, is one of the oldest cemeteries in America, The history of the place is obscure. It is sur rounded by a high brick wall and the interior is grown up with weeds and briars. It contains the tomb of many of the early colonists of Georgia. General Nathaniel Greene was buried here, and the cemetery contains the graves of many heroes of the Revolution. 5^ HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT A lieutenant in our regiment happened into this old cemetery one day and stopped in front of a grave and read upon the headstone : JOHN ROGERS, AGED 177 YRS. And read again : WM. TRELAWNEY, AGED 189 YRS. He got out his book and pencil, as he considered this a pretty ripe old age, and copied the inscrip tions and brought them to camp, where he showed them to his brother officers, with many a remark about longevity, etc. He was very much chagrined soon after, however, when an old resident explained how, when "Sherman's dashing Yankee boys" occupied the city, some of them desecrated the headstones in the old cemetery, scratching figure I's in front of the ages given after the names of some of the deceased citizens. Many wives and relatives of officers and soldiers visited Savannah at this time for the purpose of spending a few days with their dear ones before they sailed for Cuba. At Savannah, as at Jacksonville, the Second Illinois earned golden opinions for the excellent conduct of its members. The absence of rowdyism amongst so many men from such various walks of life was indeed remarkable, and excited favorable ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 57: SENTINEL WITH KRAG-JORGENSEN RIFLE. comment from all commanding officers under whom the regiment served. The regiment was now armed with the Krag- Jorgensen rifle, an excellent weapon, and the part ing from the old-fashioned Springfields seemed like severing the last link which bound us to the National Guard service. 5° HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT During the stay of the regiment in Savannah, Captain Thompson, the Acting Commissary of Subsistence, succeeded in obtaining for the regi ment a far better supply of food than had previously been issued. SENTINEL WITH SPRINGFIELD RIFLE. While here the first casualties occurred amongst the commissioned ranks of the regiment, Captain Win. A. Chadwick, of Co. D, and First Lieutenant Andrew E. Paulsen, of Co. C, both succumbing to typhoid fever. Both were married men. A regimental newspaper made its appearance in ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 59 Savannah, being edited by Private Edward Strachan, of Company I. It was neat in appear ance, bright and breezy in character, and attained a considerable circulation. The stay in Savannah was brought to a fitting close by a grand review of the entire Seventh Army Corps in Forsyth Park. Sixteen thousand troops passed in review, for besides the Seventh Army Corps, there were on parade the Third Georgia Regiment, the Second U. S. Artillery, two light batteries from the Third, one from the Fourth, one from the Fifth, and the First Maine Artillery. Troop A of the First Georgia Cavalry — -the famous Jeff Davis legion of the Civil War — formed Gen eral Lee's escort. Drill, which during the hot weather in Jackson ville, had been to some extent lightened, was in creased again, yet the soldiers always had plenty of energy left for the pursuit of such pastimes as foot ball and baseball, the regimental teams putting up some very creditable games in contests with repre sentatives of other regiments. While here the three officers of Company A re signed, Captain Van Zandt,and Lieutenants Bander and Adams, whose places were filled by Captain Lino, and Lieutenants Perry and Magrath, the first joining from the recently mustered out First Regiment Illinois Cavalry, while the others were promotions from second lieutenant and sergeant respectively. Sergeant Magrath had been acting for a considerable period as first sergeant, during 6o HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT the absence on sick leave of First Sergeant Cleff, and his appointment to commissioned rank was a very popular one. Two fine horses from Kentucky, imported by Captain Thompson, were a handsome reinforce- VICTOR. ment to the mounts of the regimental staff. The Chaplain also acquired the charger of Colonel Tor- rey, of the disbanded Second Rough Riders, It was while mounted on this horse, "Cowboy," that the Chaplain was one day, on a sham-fight, re quested by the Colonel to ride to the Third Bat talion and order them to reinforce the fighting line, ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 6l which was being hard pressed. The animal carried the Chaplain to the Third Battalion and stopped there, but Dr. Bolton was not quite ready to stop when the horse did, and discovered a new method of dismounting, about ten yards in front of his ROSEBUD. horse's head. Everyone thought at first that the Chaplain was seriously hurt, but he explained to the Colonel that it was "only his way of getting off." At all the leading churches the services of the Second Illinois Chaplain and the band, under the able leadership of Mr. Edward Smith, were in great 62 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT request,* in fact, so many invitations were extended that many had to be declined. The good fellowship and hospitality shown by the people of Savannah to the multitude of soldiers suddenly poured upon them was remarkable, while on the other hand, the good behavior of the mili tary was beyond all praise. The troops and the citizens fraternized, and "North" and "South" be came merely geographical terms. Thanksgiving Day was spent at Savannah, and was a gala day for the soldiers. The citizens raised a fund for their entertainment; a committee of ladies was formed, and every company in the corps supplied with eatables suitable to the occasion, ladies being detailed to every mess to attend to the wants of the men. The Second Illinois will always have a tender spot in its regimental heart for Savan nah. The campground here was far superior to any thing the regiment had previously experienced, and the health of the troops rapidly improved. All the traces of fever lingering in the constitutions of the boys were swept away by the fresh Georgian breezes, and the whole command became invigor ated, the listless air which had been so noticeable disappearing as if by magic. But everyone felt that the stay in Savannah, pleasant though it was, was but the prelude to the journey which all had desired so long to make — the * Whether this fact was due to a desire for the Chaplain's sermons, or for Mr. Smith's music, is an unsettled question. (Ed.) ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY journey to Cuba, so long deferred that pessimists refused to believe that it ever would happen. However, all things come to him who waits, and on December 5th the regiment received orders to MESS TENT. be in readiness at an hour's notice to embark for Havana. Its popular commander, Colonel Moul- ton, however, was" not destined to accompany the regiment, he being detailed, on the 6th of Decem ber, to proceed at once to Havana, by way of Tampa, Florida, to assume the office of Chief of Police of the city of Havana, and Lieutenant- Colonel W. D. Hotchkiss took command of the 64 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT regiment, and brought to it his best gifts, leaving nothing undone, within his power to do, for the comfort of the soldiers during the breaking of camp, the trip to Cuba of the first and second bat- THANKSGIVING DINNER. talions, and was in command until the return of Colonel Moulton, January n, 1899, when he took the regiment out to meet the Colonel at Beuena Vista, and after speeches and cheers, turned the command over to him. CHAPTER VI TRIP TO HAVANA Orders came December 7, 1898, that the regi ment should move next day. For several days preparations had been making, extra baggage had been packed, and tent floors sawn in twain for con venience of transportation, and on Thursday the regimental transport was busily engaged conveying the belongings of the regiment to the docks. Then came another hitch. The embarkation was, to the universal disgust, ordered postponed till next day, and two battalions only to go on the "Michigan," the other to follow on the "Mobile," insufficient accommodation on the former boat rendering this course necessary. The night was cold and raw, and the troops, tent- less, spent a night of discomfort. The gray dawn of the morning was a welcome sight to the house less battalions, and after a scanty breakfast of "hard tack" and canned meat, they prepared for the march to Savannah. At 10 a. m. headquarters and first and second battalions, under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Hotchkiss, marched out, with colors flying to a triumphal march by the band. The wharf was reached by noon, but the issue of an 65 66 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT TRANSPORT MICHIGAN. order, that no troops were to embark until all im pedimenta were on board, delayed the embarka tion until 9 o'clock at night. The impossibility of obtaining dinner or supper, coupled with the fact that a copious downpour of rain continued all day, rendered the period of waiting a very unpleasant experience. Finally, hungry and soaked to* the skin, the men were got on board. A vessel more absolutely unfit for the transporta tion of troops can hardly be imagined. Filthy in the extreme, the sickening odors arising from the decks and hold rendered the ship unsanitary to a degree, while the deck on which it was proposed ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 67 to quarter the troops was situated beneath that on which the mules and other animals were to be car ried; and as the decks were by no means water tight, the leakage ran through to the troop deck, causing a state of things easier to imagine than to describe. The vessel was a superannuated cattle- boat and in no respect had it been rendered fit for the service it was now to be engaged in. This condition of affairs drew forth an energetic and spirited remonstrance from Major Marquis, the regimental surgeon, presented by Lieutenant- Colonel Hotchkiss, which brought Adjutant- General Dorst and Inspector-General Guild down to inspect the vessel. They both fully agreed with the Lieutenant-Colonel as to the entire unfitness of the old hulk for the purposes intended, and a fur ther delay took place. At noon next day an order was received from headquarters that the regiment might choose between accepting passage in the "Michigan, "and staying behind and taking chances of another ship. The latter course was quite out of the question, so with a good deal of smothered indignation, the situation was accepted, and it was decided to put up with the wretched accommoda tion provided by the Quartermaster's Department. The passage down the river was of the nature of a triumphal progress. Cheering crowds along the banks of the river attested the popularity of the Second Illinois with the good folks of Savannah. In fact, first and last, the people of Georgia evinced the kindest feelings and the most open-hearted 68 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT good-will of any of those among whom we sojourned during our stay in the army. But we were not yet fairly on our way. The bar at Tybee only serves at high tide for a vessel of the draught of the "Michigan," and we had to lie to for the early morning tide. It was reported in the Chicago Record of December 12, 1898, that Lieutenant-Colonel Hotchkiss was ashore when the "Michigan" got under way, and only succeeded in reaching the vessel after an exciting chase on a tugboat. This was an error. Colonel Hotchkiss never left the vessel. The fact was that at first it was thought accommodation could not be pro vided for the band, and Chief Musician Smith and his accomplished corps of musicians were ordered to return to shore and report to Major Purinton, of the third battalion. Subsequently, however, room was found for the band, so Captain Sherwin and Lieutenant Scheying were despatched to bring it back. The bandsmen had, however, in the meantime obtained from corps headquarters leave of absence for the rest of the day, and the two offi cers were unable to collect them. They returned too late to get on board until after the vessel sailed. So, to Lieutenant-Colonel Hotchkiss' chagrin, the first and second battalions proceeded on their voyage without the distinction of having the "best .band in the Seventh Army Corps" to play them into Havana. Next day was Sunday. Before daybreak the ris ing tide floated the old liner over the bar, and by 7° HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT the time our bugles sang reveille we were well away. All hands were early on deck, for the foul air and the filthy leakage from the mule stalls rendered a long stay between decks intolerable to the strong est stomach. Even the discomforts of the dirty, overcrowded vessel, however, were powerless to damp the spir its of the men, exhilarated by the warm breeze of the Gulf Stream, and by the experience, novel to the majority, of the wonders of the boundless ocean. The great, apparently endless, expanse of blue-green water, kissed by the blue of the horizon; the gentle swells with their feathery caps of white; the lumbering porpoises, wallowing in the billowy depths of the fathomless sea; an occasional sail, or a steamer streaking the closing horizon with a faint line of smoke; all made up an aggregation of mar vels previously unknown to the boys from Chicago, to most of whom an occasional jaunt on Lake Michigan had been the sole experience of seafar ing. Night-time at sea in the tropics, in fine weather, is a tranquil dream of beauty. The blue firmament of day gradually melts into the softer shades of evening. Nature casts her gems of sparkling light with lavish hand over the vaulted canopy of heaven, every star being reflected in the bosom of the placid deep. The phosphorescence of the sea marks the track of everything that moves in the water. The eye never tires of watching the kaleidoscopic changes which every wave and every breath of air bring. ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 71 Tuesday the I3th, at about 10 a. m., Key West was sighted, about eight miles on the starboard bow, and, changing our course to a more southerly one, we steered direct for Havana. As evening approached the decks were thronged, each and all anxious to obtain the first glimpse of the most famous and most fought-over city of the Western Hemisphere. Small sailing and coasting vessels began to be seen, showing that land was not far distant. At 8 p. m. Havana was sighted. The light of old Morro gleamed out cheerfully across the water, as if welcoming our approach. The pilot r MORRO CASTLE. 72 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT came aboard, and, steaming past El Morro and Cabanas, we anchored for the night under the mighty protection of the guns of the United States cruiser "New York." Havana by night as seen from the bay presents a beautiful spectacle. Anchored in the midst of the harbor, the lights of the city half-encompassing us in an immense semi-circle, we remained on deck, gazing at the city and the lights of the shipping in harbor, till tired nature warned us that we had had enough of sight-seeing for one day, and we sought and speedily obtained the sleep of the weary. The notes of "I can't get 'em up" found no lag gards next morning. Bright and early the men were on deck, to correct by the certainties of day light the dim impressions of the previous night. Boat-load after boat-load of Cubans passing the ship cheered us continually, and the boys from Illi nois were not backward in responding with hearty American "hurrahs" to the enthusiastic Cuban "vivas." Hard by lay the wreck of the erstwhile mighty "Maine," and scattered about the harbor were a score of other wrecks, some of which, as we learned later, had been lying there over a hundred years. But of course it was the "Maine" that was the cynosure of all eyes. Nothing strange or new to us, for we had all seen pictures of the wreck, taken from every conceivable point of view; but the sight of that shattered hulk itself excited feelings of the most intense emotion in every American heart, mingled with satisfaction that the authors of ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 73 the terrible treachery, of which it had been the vic tim, had not escaped retribution for their dastardly act. All day was occupied in unloading mules, bag gage and stores, and it was not until the following WRECK OF THE MAINE. morning, Thursday, December 15, 1898, that we at last set foot for the first time on Cuban soil. Greatly regretting the absence of our unrivaled band, at 9 a. m. we swung into fours for our march through the narrow streets of the old city. The discomforts of our recent voyage were soon for gotten amid the varied and picturesque scenes which met our eyes at every turn. The Cubans turned out in great force to wel- 74 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT come us. Everywhere we were greeted with cries of "Viva los Americanos," kkViva Cuba Libre" from all sides. Men, women, and children thronged around us; they seized our hands; they saluted us with the Stars and Stripes of America and the Lone Star of Cuba, they showered flowers upon us; they hung wreaths of beautiful roses on the necks and bridles of the horses, and the rifles of the men. The Chaplain especially was the recipient of many beau tiful wreaths, and attracted especial attention, the crowd taking him for General Lee, a rather embar rassing mistake, as some • disgruntled Spaniard might have tried a pot-shot at him from a window, under the impression that he was performing a patriotic act. Apart from the overflowing joy of the populace, the newness of the scene, the narrow streets, the quaint houses with their thick walls and long col onnades, the peculiar vehicles, and the appearance of the people themselves, all made up an experi ence the novelty of which lightened the labor of the long, hot, and dusty eight miles march to Mari- anao, where the regiment was to encamp. The road wound in and out among hills of solid rock, each commanded by the unfailing military block house, and girdled by fences of barbed wire. The defenses around Havana impressed us as being well- nigh impregnable to an enemy. By noon we reached camp, where we found our old neighbors, the First North Carolina, already ensconced. The camp ground was admirably 75 76 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT selected as to both sanitation and scenery. To the east lay the city of Havana; to the west the town of Marianao, and the mountains of Pinar del Rio. Two miles to the northward the waters of the Gulf rolled blue in the sunlight; to the southward stretched a rolling landscape, dotted here and there by orange groves and groups of royal palms, while in the shade of their deep green leaves an occa sional Cuban mansion with its fanciful architecture furnished a strikingly beautiful contrast. Our tents were soon pitched, and, tired though our men were, the feeling of satisfaction at having at last arrived at the objective point of our journey, and being actually encamped on sure-enough Cuban soil, amply compensated for all that had been, and that remained to be, undergone. CHAPTER VII THIRD BATTALION'S TRIP TO HAVANA And now to return to the Third Battalion, whom we left behind in Savannah. During- the time which remained to them, the ground on which the camp stood was thoroughly policed, until not so much as a lucifer match was left to be picked up. The old tents were left standing, as new and larger tents were to be issued in Cuba. The weather was bleak and raw, and the short period before embark ation was spent rather uncomfortably in conse quence. Promptly at 2 p. m., December 12, 1898, the Third Battalion formed up; every man neatly dressed and equipped, the officers in their nattiest uniforms. Headquarters' loss was the Third Bat talion's gain, for Smith's band, the pride of the Seventh Army Corps, was with the latter, much to their delight. Sufficient time was allowed for the i6ist Indiana to get on ahead, and at 2 115 p. m. the battalion was on the move for Cuba. The Fourth Virginia turned out in force and gave us three cheers and a tiger as the band played "Auld Lang Syne." Cheering attended the battalion right along the line of march through the city to the docks, the band exciting particular enthusiasm; it 77 7 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT had been always looked upon during our stay in Savannah as the finest body of musicians that ever visited that city. In two places it was necessary to halt the battalion, the crowd being so great as to obstruct its progress. It was a glorious, day, and a fitting occasion for bidding farewell to the kind people of Savannah. Our stay there will always remain one of our pleasantest memories of the cam paign. By 5 p. m. the men had all been marched on board and assigned to their quarters on the "Mo bile." The Third Battalion were much more fortunate than their comrades of the First and Second in the matter of accommodation. The "Mobile" was a magnificent vessel, very different from the ex-cattle boat on which Headquarters had had such a mis erable experience. She came fresh from the Navy Yard, and her fittings were such as could be found on no other Government transport. Her sanitary arrangements were beyond all praise. There was an excellent sick bay, and every man was provided with a good berth, furnished with a soft bed and a spring mattress below it. This was particu larly grateful to men who for eight months had not known what a bed meant. Captain Higgins, a stalwart Yankee seaman from Maine, commanded the vessel. Captain Reed was Quartermaster in charge, and his arrangements for the comfort of the men were effective and appreciated. The "Mobile" carried, besides the Third Battal- o HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT ion, Second Illinois, the i6ist Indiana, a company of the Fourth Virginia, a company of the Engineer Corps, and General Williston and the staff of the First Brigade, Second Division, with some fifty or more officers detached from their commands. In all, including the crew, there were on board about 2,100 souls. In an emergency the "Mobile" could accommodate at least another thousand. At 6 o'clock next morning, the moorings were cast off, and, in tow of a. tug, the "Mobile" left her berth and passed down the river, steamers and tugs saluting her as she passed, the siren fog signal of the "Mobile1' replying with generous interest. At length we were over the bar and fairly out to sea. We steered a southeasterly course all next day, and the following day drew in toward the Florida coast. The weather was perfect. The change from the raw temperature of Savannah was very noticeable. Overcoats became a superfluity and blouses were discarded. Jupiter Inlet, where the Oregon put in after her long cruise, was passed, and Palm Branch, with its magnificent winter hotel resorts, during the fore noon of the 1 4th. We passed close inshore, and the people on the beach saluted us by raising and lowering a large flag, a compliment promptly responded to by our siren. In the afternoon we passed Lemon City and Miami, then, as we approached the Florida Keys, we noticed the admirable system of lighthouses placed at frequent intervals to guide aright the ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 8 1 "ships that pass in the night"; the difference in the character of the lights, one stationary, another re volving, a third showing a red and then a white light, indicating to the navigator his exact position. The life of a lighthouse keeper on one of these reefs must be solitary and monotonous in the extreme, and the marvel is that men can be found willing to fill such positions. It would certainly seem as if confinement in a state prison would be a paradise in comparison. The troops turned in that night fully expecting to see next morning the world-famed Morro, and the hills of Cuba, and at 7 a. m. next day the decks were thronged with soldiers eagerly looking shore ward. At about 8 o'clock the dim outlines of Morro and the prominent headlands at the mouth of the harbor could be made out, with the assist ance of a glass. Gradually the mist cleared off, and the coast became more distinct, until a good view of the historical old tower could be obtained. The prevailing impression at first was that it could not have stood long against an attack from our vessels of war, but a closer approach showed the defenses to be much stronger than had been supposed. The jutting promontory on which the fort and castle is built is all solid rock of a coral formation, and though but few guns, and those of antiquated pat- tr.n, were visible, yet we well knew that Spain had lavished her best engineering skill and placed her most modern artillery here for the defense of her highly-prized fortress. As we approached the $2 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT entrance to the harbor, we were on the lookout for orders, but none came, and we sheered off up the west coast to wait till they did. The scenery from the deck was very beautiful, the green hills stretch ing away in graceful undulations, crowned here and there with stately groups of palms, formed a pan orama in which all was pleasing and novel. The country certainly justifies the assertion of Colum bus, who said that it was the most beauteous land that eye ever beheld. About noon, signals displayed from Morro gave us permission to enter. We put about and made for the entrance to the harbor, and as we steamed in, the bands of the Second Illinois and i6ist Indi ana played all the patriotic airs in their repertoires. This was the opportunity the boys with the kodaks had been waiting for, and to the full they availed themselves of it. The old castle walls were lined by Spanish sol diers, who watched the arrival of the American in vaders with an aspect of calm indifference, which, no doubt, must have veiled a feeling of bitter humil iation. There was no need for anyone to ask what was the dismantled wreck sticking up from the water in the middle of the harbor. The pictures of the "Maine" had familiarized everyone with its appear ance, and it was recognized immediately, and be came the cynosure of all eyes on board. It brought vividly to mind the whole episode of the destruc tion of the ill-fated vessel, and the cruel iate of its ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 03 gallant crew, so suddenly hurled into eternity by the treacherous hand of the assassin. For two days we were moored off the Machina before the troops were allowed to land, as a case of measles had developed in the i6ist Indiana; dur- HAVANA HARBOR. ing this time the work of unloading went merrily on. On Saturday morning the troops disembarked and were drawn up on the quay in heavy marching order, ready for the march through the city and out to the camp near Marianao, whither the remainder of the regiment had preceded us. §4 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT Now again we thanked our lucky stars that there had not been room on board the "Michigan" for Mr. Smith and his musicians. As we marched through the city the excitable Cubans could not contain their enthusiasm, their vivas filling the air, while the dark-eyed senoras and senoritas waved their welcomes from the grated windows which are universal in Havana, and give the houses much the appearance of jails. Houses right along the line of route were gaily decorated, the American and Cuban flags predominating. Once clear of the city the road to the camp was lined by Spanish soldiers, who occupied houses used as barracks at various points along the road. They were drawn up at attention and presented arms to us as we passed, we of course returning the salute. The contrast between the lightly clad Spanish soldiers, looking cool and comfortable in their cot ton clothing, and the heavily dressed, heavily laden American soldiers, toiling along the dusty road, in the scorching sun, sweating in heavy marching order, emphasized the fact that Spain at all events knew better how to equip troops for a tropical country than did the War Department of the United States. However, hot as was the day, few men fell out, and even those who did soon rejoined. The fact was that the novelty of the experience caused forgetfulness of fatigue. At 1 130 p. m. the Third Battalion, dusty but delighted, marched ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 05 proudly through the camp of their old friends the "Tar Heels" of the First North Carolina, who greeted them warmly, and in a few minutes more we were back with our own comrades, busily engaged pitching camp, and getting into trim to settle down in the sunny land of Cuba. KODAK FIEND. CHAPTER VIII ORGANIZING THE HAVANA POLICE In October, Major-General Francis Greene, who had up to that time commanded the Second Divi sion Seventh Army Corps, was ordered to Cuba, the duties appointed him being to survey and select suitable camping" grounds for the American troops who were soon to follow; to inquire into and report upon the whole system of government in Cuba, and to build up upon that foundation a reor ganized and reformed fabric; in fine, to prepare the way for American rule "in Cuba. General Greene, who was a most popular commander, carried out his multifarious duties in a manner to satisfy the most exacting critic. Among the most pressing needs of Havana, and which needed immediate attention, was the neces sity for the establishment of an efficient and incor ruptible police force. To this end General Greene procured the appointment of Colonel Moulton to superintend this department. Before, however, the task assigned to Colonel Moulton wras complete, General Greene resigned his position and left the island, General Lndlow assuming so much of his duties as related to the municipal government of the city of Havana. Under the new regime the 86 ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 87 GEN. FRANCIS GREENE. plans formulated under General Greene ceased to find favor, and General Ludlow found it advisable to replace Colonel Moulton by Major John Gary Evans, an officer of his own staff, who was more in accord with his own views on the subject. Although his selection for the important post of Chief of Police of the city of Havana was naturally gratifying to Colonel Moulton, it may well be doubted whether it fully compensated him for the loss of the opportunity to march into Havana at HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT the head of the regiment in which he took so much pride. He had no leisure, however, to indulge in any vain regrets, for the task that was set him, that of organizing a police force for the city of Havana, demanded and received his whole attention. No better choice for the appointment could possibly have been made. The Colonel brought to his dif ficult undertaking a sagacity, a business tact, an energy and unremitting application such as are pos sessed by few men, and which promised speedily to evolve order out of the chaos that confronted him. The following is a copy of the order appointing Colonel Moulton to his position : "Washington, D. C, December 5, 1898. "General Lee, "Commanding 7th Corps, Savannah, Ga. "The Secretary of War directs that you order "Colonel Moulton, 2nd 111. Vol. Inf., to Havana. "On his arrival there he will report to Major-Gen- "eral F. V. Greene for special duty; travel enjoined "is necessary for the public service. Colonel Moul- "ton should go on first steamer. "By command of Major-General Miles. (Signed.) "H. C. CORBIN, "Adjutant-General." Colonel Moulton was, in pursuance of this tele gram, directed by General Lee to proceed to Tampa, Florida, and embark for Havana. He ar rived in Havana December I2th, and duly reported as ordered. General Greene informed him that the duty to which he was assigned would be the organ- ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY °9 ization of a permanent civil police department for the city of Havana; also that ex-Chief of Police McCullagh, of New York City, would arrive on the following day, with whom the Colonel was to con sult, and, after study of the situation, to submit a plan for the organization of the proposed depart ment. For several years the attention of the police was said to have been directed rather to political arrests than to the prevention of crime, with the result of complete disorganization of the force. It had con sisted of the Government police of the province, OLD POLICE. 9° HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT the Municipal police, and a force designated the "Guardia Civile/' Each of these forces was inde pendent of the others, and the natural result was "confusion worse confounded." The President had authorized the raising- o great a portion of the troops, that to all appearance the chief duty of the Seventh Army Corps in Cuba was one-half mounting guard over the other half. Colonel Moulton's return to the regiment occurred just in time to> enable him to welcome Major Dusenberry's command back from Cienfue- gos, and an account of their doings at that place will fittingly commence another chapter. 95 CHAPTER IX HAVANA To adequately describe the city of Havana within the limits of a work of this nature would be a task akin to that of baling out the Atlantic with a tea cup. So many-sided is this remarkable city that piece-meal sketches, rather than a finished picture are all that is possible under the circumstances. Havana harbor is beautiful at any time, and espe cially in the morning. The water of the harbor is not nearly so dirty as the newspaper reports would lead us to believe, though there must be a good deal of filth accumulated at the bottom. The water is at any rate clear enough to sparkle brilliantly in the sunshine. To judge from the amount of shipping in the harbor, too, business is by no means at the low ebb that it is said to be. Flags of all Nations are flying at the peaks. Lining the bay all around are long rows of sugar and tobacco warehouses with their wharves in front. The regular morning ceremony of saluting the colors on the American ships in the harbor is a most inspiring sight and excites much enthusiasm among the Americans in Havana. Launches can be seen plying between shore and 9 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT their respective vessels. The lumbering barge of the custom house boarding officer, small boats rowed by sailors, others propelled by Cuban boat men, or by sail, with little canvas awnings rigged over their stern-seats, jog back and forth, while in the middle of the harbor the twisted mass of iron that was the " Maine" rises in rusty bulk above the water. Opposite, the grim-looking Morro; the white walls on the abrupt hills of the Cabanas for tifications, while the outer portion of the city is marked out by the long, regular rows of green trees that stretch away till they are lost in the distant buildings. How many memories of haughty Span ish Dons cluster round the walls! What visions of gold-laden ships, reckless freebooters, daring ad venturers, and untiring explorers ! The handsomest street in Havana is the Prado, the favorite promenade of the wealthy classes of the city. It is a fine boulevard, leading from the Parque Isabel, a small park in front of the well- known Hotel cle Inglaterra, A statue of Queen Isabella stands in the park, and a military band plays there evenings. The Prado* is lined with Handsome dwellings, and in the evenings presents a gay scene. Havana is full of excellent restaurants, whose number has of course not diminished since the ad vent of the American invaders. Prices are pretty high sometimes, but still a fair meal can be obtained at a fair price if a little discrimination is practiced. The means of transportation consist of hacks, ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 99 volantes, and horse cars. The last-named proceed in a very leisurely manner and quite independently of any time schedule. The tariff for hacks is quite moderate. A striking feature in Havana is the number of bells. Hardly has day begun to break when the ear is startled by the loud ringing of bells from every part of the town. Large and small, bass and treble, they toll out from every part of the city, giv ing the idea to the stranger that a general confla gration has broken out. Every church has its tower, sometimes two or three, and each tower half a dozen bells, no two of which sound alike, and every bell-ringer seems to be doing his level best co drown the sounds made by the others. Obispo Street is the main mercantile street, and very interesting. It is full of handsome stores, all fully open to the street, and runs right out to the old walls of the city, where egress is gained by means of the gates of Puertas de Monserrate; extending at the other end down to the Caballeria quay at the waterside. Looking down Obispo we see, occupying the whole of a square, and of grand proportions and architecture, the Captain-General's palace, and on the Plaza or public square in front of it is encamped the Second United States Artillery, their white tents and trim camp presenting a somewhat incon gruous appearance amidst its aristocratic surround ings. At the end of the street is the former palace of the Coiide de Santovenia, presenting a curious IOO HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT combination, all the first floor being devoted to shabby-looking stores and offices, while the upper stories, formerly a palatial residence of the Conde, are now used as a hotel. A point which strikes the Chicagoan forcibly in this old city is that no particular locality or local- BARRED WINDOWS. ities seem devoted to the best class of residences. Cheek by jowl with a private dwelling, with its trim, well-kept appearance, one finds a grimy look ing warehouse. People of the wealthiest class live here, there, and everywhere, some upstairs, some down, some on the ground floor, some over ware- ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY IO1 houses and stores, in fact there cannot be said to be any "residence district" such as we are accus tomed to see in the cities of the United States. Every house is walled like a fort, the doors thick enough to resist the strokes of a battering- ram, while every window, right away up to the roof, is ISABEL. barred, as though the occupants expected to be called upon at any moment to resist invasion. The Paseo Isabel, a continuation of the Prado, is a wide, well-built street, laid out with walks and carriage drives on either side, and extends away out beyond the city walls. There may be seen the HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT British, German, French and other flags floating over their respective consulates, while statues and fountains occupy the center of the broad road, which is well shaded by trees. Most of the streets are exceedingly narrow, the sidewalks being hardly wide enough for the passage of a single person, and the unfortunate male pedes trian finds himself stepping off into the mud at every second pace, to allow the passage of some senorita, attended by the inevitable and superfluous duena. In Cuba Street is the building which was used as the headquarters of the artillery of the Spanish army, a large brown stone building, several stories in height, while hard by, on Chacon Street, is the arsenal. Down Tacon Street we find the La Fuer- za, the oldest fort in Havana, with many traditions of antiquity, assaults, and defenses, and attacks from pirates and foreign foes. It is a star-shaped bastioned fort, having a good line of fire upon the entrance and the bay, and fine large barracks for the troops close at hand. This old fort dates back to the time of Ferdinand de Soto, the conqueror of Florida and discoverer of the Mississippi, who while Governor of the Island in 1538, ordered it built. The portcullis and barracks were erected in 1718. Opposite is the Plaza de Armas. Close by is the building formerly used as the headquarters of the Military Governor of the city; in the lower part of the same building were the Royal Lottery Treasury, and the Monte de Pieta, or Government pawn-broking establishment. ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 103 THE OLD CATHEDRAL. The priesthood and the church have probably a larger share in the life of the Cubans, particularly with the female portion, than anything else that goes to make up the sum of their life. One is met at almost every turn by priests of various orders. The principal church is the cathedral which con tained the ashes of Columbus, which were recently carried back to Spain, and is on that account an interesting spot to Americans, though the church itself possesses IK> special beauty. Still, with its two queer old towers, its pillars, niches, cornices and mouldings, built of brown stone, blackened with 104 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT the years that have elapsed since 1724, when it was erected, it is a striking looking edifice. A very old church is that of San Juan de Dios, which was built in 1573, that fact forming its sole recommendation to notice. The church of San Augustine, on Cuba Street, was built in 1608, and possesses many handsome internal decorations. None of the churches are provided with pews or seats, as with us. A few benches there are used only by the men. The ladies carry with them to church a small rug, which they unroll and place upon the stone floor to kneel on, Other churches are Santo Angel, San Felipe, Santa Clara, Belen, La Merced, and a number of smaller ones, but except for their varying degrees of antiquity and some peculiarities of architecture, they do not possess any features which differen tiate much from those of the churches already no ticed. Baptist, Methodist, and Congregational churches have been established in the city, and Protestant ism may now be said to have been planted in the land, although in a country where Roman Catholicism has held sole sway for centuries and has consequently struck deep root, it would be idle to suppose the churches will be able for years to come to do much more than min ister to the spiritual needs of the Americans and Protestant Europeans visiting or domesticated in the island. The markets of Havana are remarkably good. ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 105 The most convenient is the "Mercado de Cristina" in the Plaza Vieja, at the corner of Teniente Rey Street and San Ygnacio. The market forms a square faced by an arcade, which is occupied by stores of various kinds, among which "notions" and "fancy goods" alternate with money-changers' stalls, the latter being very numerous. The interi or, or plaza, is devoted to the sale of vegetables and fruit, in the production of which Cuba stands sec ond to no place in the wodd. Here we see great piles of onions, cabbages, and "boniata" or, as we know them in the United States, "sweet potatoes," a staple article of diet among the Cubans; also oranges, mangos, pineapples, bananas, or planta- nos, as they are called here. There are four of these market-places in Havana. Besides the one we have described there is the "Mercado del Cristo," the "Tacon," named after Cuba's celebrated Governor, the one Spanish Gov ernor whose memory is beloved by the Cubans. The Cuban fruits are exceedingly delicious, and, when ripe and not partaken of to excess, perfectly wholesome. Some of them are entire strangers to Americans; among these are the "Anon," the "Sa- pote," and the "Mamey Colorado'," all rich, luscious fruits, for which we are unacquainted with any American name. The milk of the green fruit of the cocoanut is a distinct delicacy; ice-cold, and of a most delicate flavor, nothing can be more refresh ing to a thirsty man. On the other side of the town we find the fish- io6 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT market, or "Pescaderia." It is a fine stone build ing, supported by pillared arches. Inside, instead of tables, as in the other markets, are square stone slabs with tiled tops, upon which repose a great variety of fish, among which we recognize the bass, LITTLE TEMPLE. the flounder, and the blue-fish. Young shark are also eaten; only when very young, however. The Cuban oyster, though of diminutive size, is very good. Business in all these markets seems to be brisk, and if the amount of gain is at all commen surate with the quantity of lively chatter which runs ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 107 unceasingly, a stall within a "Mercado" must be a profitable possession. Another interesting spot is "El Templete" or "The Little Temple," on Ena Street. It was here that in 1519, under an old Ceiba tree, the first mass in Havana was celebrated. The tra dition of Columbus' presence at this mass is per petuated by the opening of the building to the public once a year, on the i6th of November, the feast of San Cristobal, when many visitors, mainly American, visit the building, which contains a bust of the explorer. The finest quay in the city is that known as "El Muelle Caballeria," a busy scene of commerce, where the merchants of Havana transact the major part of their business. These quays are a feature of Havana, and are among the most spacious and commodious to be found in the world. CHAPTER X CHANGING THE FLAGS January i, 1899, is a date never to be forgotten in the Island of Cuba. After four centuries of mis- gavernment, Spain on that date finally relinquished her authority and handed over to the United States the trust which she had proved herself so unworthy to hold. Great enthusiasm prevailed in Havana, GOVERNOR-GENERAL'S PALACE. 108 ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 109 and the streets were thronged, but the crowds were orderly and nothing occurred to mar the dignity and impressiveness of the event. The whole Sev enth Army Corps was paraded to do honor to the occasion, and the difference between the small, FLAG RAISING ON MORRO. undersized Spanish soldiers and the big, stalwart Americans who were replacing them excited won dering remark from the Cuban crowds. "Mucho grandes Americanos," and "Muy grandes Caballos Americanos," was the universal exclamation at the size of the men and horses, the latter looking like HO HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT giants beside the insignificant ponies bestridden, by Spaniards and Cubans alike. A special compliment was paid to the Second Illinois. The unrivaled band of the regiment was ordered to pay the proper compliments to the retir ing Spaniards, and under Mr. Smith's able leader ship excellently performed the duty. At noon, in the great hall of the palace at Havana, in the names of the King and Queen Regent of Spain, Captain-General Castellanos form ally delivered the government of the island into the hands of General Wade, the United States repre sentative; General Wade then handed over the charge to General Brooke, the officer appointed by the President to be Military Governor of the Divi sion of Cuba. The gold and crimson flag of Spain was lowered from the palace, El Morro, Cabanas, and all other fortresses and public buildings, and the stars and stripes floated in its place. The scene in the palace was a very striking one. Governor-General Castellanos, standing with his staff on the right side of the salon addressed the Evacuation Commission as follows : "Gentlemen : In accordance with the terms of the treaty of Paris, the arrangements of this com mission, and the orders of my King, I surrender to you the sovereignty of Cuba, in order that you may exercise it henceforward. "In doing so I wish to say that the generals of the American army will meet with all the respect due them from myself and my officers, and that I ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY I OLD GLORY ON MORRO CASTLE. trust that the cordial understanding at present existing between our armies will continue until all the forces under my command have evacuated the island." After receiving the governorship from General Wade, General Brooke replied to General Castel- lanos : "In the name of the United States and our Presi dent, I accept the sovereignty of Cuba. I wish you and the gallant gentlemen with you a safe return to your own country." General Castellanos then bowed and retired to his own apartments, where he held a reception of his officers. He took leave of them with much emotion. "Men," he said, the tears starting to his eyes, "I have fought in as many battles as there are 112 ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY H3 hairs on my head, but never until to-day did my courage desert me. Adios!" He embraced the officers in Spanish fashion, and descended to the Plaza, escorted by General Chaffee. As he crossed the Plaza some American ladies in the balcony of the government building waved their handkerchiefs to the fallen chief who was exhibiting so much dig nity in his reverse. The general kissed his hand in return with Castilian courtliness. There is cer tainly no nation the superior of the Spanish in the polish of manner, which causes grace of action even at the most trying time. This had been remarked by our men before. The cool, impassive demeanor of the soldiers who stood saluting as our conquer ing columns defiled past them had caused favorable comment, and it must also be remarked that the bearing of our own officers and men at no time showed anything of the arrogance of the conqueror toward the vanquished, but rather the generous forbearance of an enemy who respected a brave but fallen foe. As soon as the war was over bitter feel ings appeared to die out as the clouds leave the sky after a summer storm; in fact, the officers and sol diers of both armies seemed ready to fraternize. After all, it was felt the lower officers and soldiers were little to> blame in the events which led to the war. Conscripted without their own will and comr pelled to serve, they were as little responsible for the acts they performed under the orders of their superiors as a locomotive that responds to the hand of the engineer is for the errors of the train de- 114 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT spatcher. Then again, to the great bulk of the Spanish army the idea of a speedy return to their native shores came as a relief. Disheartened by their enforced residence under unfavorable condi tions in a country thousands of miles from their RETURN FROM^MORRO, JANUARY i, 1899. homes; unpaid, half fed, under a stern discipline, very many of them with shattered health, weary of the thankless task of fighting against a people speaking their own language, and largely sprung from their own blood, small wonder that they hailed with joy the prospect of release from a galling and ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY detested bondage. All these causes combined to minimize any friction that might otherwise have arisen, and the Americans and Spaniards parted on much more amicable terms and with much better opinions of one another than the intense bitterness existing before and during the war would have led anyone to expect. While all this was happening in Havana, similar ceremonies on a smaller scale were proceeding else where on the island. In one of them the Second Illinois Regiment was playing a conspicuous part, and, as was invariably the case, performed its as- GENERAL GOMEZ. n6 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT MAJOR DUSENBERRY. signed task in a manner to call forth commendation. On December 29th, Major William P. Dusenberry, commanding the Second Battalion of the regiment, received orders from Headquarters Seventh Army Corps to prepare his command to proceed the fol lowing morning to Cienfuegos, on the southern coast of Cuba, about two hundred miles south from Havana. His instructions were to> take charge of the city, to superintend the evacuation and sur render of the Spanish forces; the lowering of the Snanish flag, and the hoisting of the stars and stripes in its stead; and the establishment of a new regime HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT 117 of authority. This assignment was regarded as a high honor to Major Dusenberry and his command. Grave questions and responsibilities were involved in the carrying out of the instructions, responsibili ties rarely confided to regimental officers. The Second Battalion were busy the night of the SECOND BATTALIONJLEN [.ROUTE] TOICIENFUEGOS. 29th packing and making all ready for an early start. At i a. m. on the 3Oth they were astir, and a hasty breakfast was partaken of at 2 a. m. At 4 150 the command marched to the town of Cerro, where it was to take the train. It was not until 10:45, however, that a train with two coaches for the officers and ten box cars for the soldiers, put in GENERAL BLANCO. 118 ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 1 19 an appearance. The accommodation was of the poorest possible kind, but that was no new experi ence for the boys of the Second Illinois, and excited little comment. The way lay through three provinces, Havana, Matanzas, and Santa Clara; the scenery being very grand, particularly in the last-named province. Fertile plains alternated with rugged hills, deep valleys with lofty mountains; in some places the train would be passing through deep ravines, the sides of which towered many feet above the cars. Royal palms stood up in their lofty dignity and grace all along the route traversed. The first halt was at Aguacate, and the people turned out to welcome the Americans. Several hundred Cuban soldiers, both infantry and cavalry, were lined up at the depot, and a salute was fired from a howitzer as the officers of our battalion fol lowed General Rego to the platform, where the general made a cordial speech of welcome. A few moments more and the train was again on the move arriving at Matanzas at 2 130 p. m. Many Spanish soldiers were still at this place, and our boys were much interested in observing the effects of the bombardment by the New York, Brooklyn, Cin cinnati, and Oregon. The shells of the warships had made terrible havoc, nearly every house within the zone of fire being leveled with the ground. At Jovellanos and Perico more demonstrations of wel come greeted the troops, and at 3 a. m. the train rolled into Cienfuegos, the "City of One Hundred 120 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT Fires/' as its name signifies. Here the troops bivouacked until dawn, when the other section of the train, under command of Captain Garrity, bear ing tents and baggage, arrived, and pitching camp on a beautiful site at Chuchu, Candellaria, three miles from the city, the boys turned in for a good rest, thoroughly tired out with their long and event ful ride. The battalion was composed of Company H, under Captain Garrity, Company F, under Captain Stansfield, Company E, under Captain Nuss- baumer, and Company G, under Lieutenant May- eskie, Captain McFeely, of the last-named com pany, being absent sick. After a good sleep the boys were as bright as buttons, Major Dusenberry's care in making all due provision for their welfare during the journey bear ing good fruit in the freshness and fitness for duty of the command. The camp was situated along one of the famous trochas, known as the Trocha de Cienfuegos, twenty miles long, extending com pletely around the city. Along the line were sta tioned at short intervals block houses, connected with barb wire entanglements and ditches five feet deep. The line was still occupied by Spanish infantry, and the positions were well chosen and very strong. Major Dusenberry proceeded to the city and immediately prepared the following pithy procla mation, which was issued January ist, 12 m. : 122 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT ClENFUEGOS, CUBA. 12 o'clock m., January ist, 1899. By the authority vested in me by His Excellency, the Hon. William McKinley, -President of the United States, the undersigned hereby assumes military control of the City of Cienfuegos, Cuba. Pending the departure of the Spanish troops, Gen eral Ernesto Aguirre de Bengoa has kindly offered to maintain the service of the Civil Guards to pre serve order in the forces in his command, which offer I have accepted with pleasure. (Signed) WM. P. DUSENBERRY, Major Second Illinois Volunteer Infantry. Commanding. This proclamation was issued in Spanish and English. The task of selecting and appointing a mayor, supreme judge, postmaster, and counselors de volved upon Major Dusenberry, and presented con siderable difficulty, inasmuch as the time available was so short in which to gain information as to their fitness and qualifications, A committee, of which Captain Amando Paggi was chairman, came to see Major Dusenberry, seeking permission to parade 500 Cuban soldiers at the ceremonies of raising the stars and stripes, but during an interview, lasting two hours, he failed to obtain the necessary author ity, which the major declined to grant, being* con vinced that the relations were too strained between Cubans and Spaniards to render such a course either desirable or safe. The Spanish general, Don Ernesto Aguirre de Bengoa, a fine gentleman and soldier, acceded at ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY I23 CUSTOM HOUSE, CIENFUEGOS, JANUARY i, 1899. once to the major's request that no officers or sol diers of his command, either collectively or as individuals, should enter the city on the occasion; an undertaking that was scrupulously observed. On January ist, at 10:30 a. m., the battalion pro ceeded to the city by train, passing on the way an old sugar mill, used as a barracks by the Spanish troops. Arrived in the city, the Americans were greeted by an enormous multitude who shouted themselves hoarse with "Vivas." Drawn up along the street as they debarked was a detachment of Marines and 124 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT bluejackets from the United States warship "May flower," which had arrived on the evening of De cember 3 ist, and was lying in the harbor. By special invitation from Major Dusenberry, the officers joined his staff and the marines formed on the left of the battalion and marched to the custom house on the bay front. The troops were formed in front of the custom house, facing it, the naval detachment being placed at right angles to the left of the line, facing inwards. Lack of space in the square rendered this forma tion necessary. Captain Barker furnished the flag and delivered it to Lieutenant Bernard J. Burnes, acting battalion quartermaster, who, with a color guard consisting of Corporal .Furling, and Privates Faitz, Wideman, and Alsop, of Company H, escorted it to the bal cony of the custom house, where it was folded under the directions of Major Dusenberry. Lieutenant Garwood made fast the flag to the halyards, and presented it to the major to raise, but on examina tion the latter found that it had been attached union downward; he caused the error to be rectified, directing the flag to be so attached that it would rise in a ball to the top of the flagstaff, and then, at a quick jerk of the lines, unfurl. A hush of expec tancy fell upon the watching crowd, to be suc ceeded a moment after by a perfect frenzy of cheer ing, as at the appointed time the troops were brought to the "present" and Major Dusenberry hoisted the flag to the head of the flagstaff, where POSTMASTER AT CIENFUEGOS. 125 126 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT Old Glory floated out amid a fresh burst of ap plause. Later, under the direction of Major Dusenberry, flags were raised over the postoffice and the city hall. The "Mayflower" fired a salute of twenty-one guns, and Cienfuegos was under the stars and stripes. Company G remained at the custom house, Com pany E at the postoffice, and Company F at the city hall, to guard the flags and lower them at re treat, while Company H went on duty as provost guard. To Captain Garrity was entrusted the temporary charge of all military mail in the prov ince. Captain Stansfield was in charge at "Camp Williston," as the encampment had been christened. Congratulations came pouring in by wire from all parts of Santa Clara province, and many ex pressions of gratitude were received from leading citizens of Santa Clara, But the military ceremonies formed but a minor part of the business necessary to be performed. The Spanish officials declined to serve under the new regime. The mayor, the supreme judge, the postmaster, and all of the council, save one, a Senor Pedro Modesto Hernandez, resigned their offices, and Major Dusenberry made the necessary appoint ments, pro tempore, to fill their places. After the flag raising, Major Dusenberry proceeded at once to the city hall and administered to the newly appointed officers the following oath of allegiance : "You solemnly swear that you entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to the King of ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY '27 Spain, or to any other foreign prince, state or sov ereignty whatever, and that you are a resident of Cienfuegos, Cuba, That you will support the con stitution of the United States, and such officers as may be placed over you, and the laws governing the military force". "So help me God." On the arrival of General J. C. Bates with the Sixth Ohio, the battalion was relieved from its duties, and on January nth proceeded to rejoin, being escorted to the depot by the band of the Sixth Ohio, arriving at headquarters January 1 3th. All the official acts performed by Major Dusenberry, during his brief administration of the office of military governor, received the fullest approbation and sanction of the general. The return of the Second Battalion to headquar ters was almost synchronous with that of Colonel Moulton, who had just relinquished the command of the Havana police force. Forming his com mand in front of the colors, Major Dusenberry formally reported his return to the Colonel, receiv ing in reply a few well chosen words of commenda tion for a service well performed. Major Dusenberry made many friends among the leading citizens of Cienfuegos, one of whom after ward sent him the gift of a handsome Spanish flag as a memento of this interesting and memorable occasion. CHAPTER XI CAMP COLUMBIA The stay of the regiment in Camp Columbia was, on the whole, an extremely monotonous experi ence. Passes were so sparingly granted, especially at first, that the soldiers, who were very anxious to get out of camp and see what the country was like, chafed considerably under the restraint. It had been expected that the Second Illinois would be assigned to provost guard duty in the city of Havana, but regular regiments were preferred for that duty. An unfortunate choice, as it turned out, for the regulars who were detailed for this purpose were composed almost entirely of raw recruits with an average service of two or three months, un- drilled, undisciplined, and much inferior in every respect to any volunteer regiment in the Seventh Army Corps, while their constitutions being unac- climated they soon showed a higher sick rate than the volunteers who had been seasoned by nine months camping in the South. The tents furnished were excellent, and gave ample room for the number of men to whom they were assigned. They were of the hospital pattern, 14 feet by 14 feet, and were eventually to a consid erable extent fitted with floors, although the nig- 128 I29 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT gardliness of the supply of lumber vouchsafed did not admit, even up to the time of leaving- Cuba, of all the tents being so provided. Fortunately, the regiment left Cuba before the rainy season was well under way or the consequences would have been serious. The rainy season in that country is some thing of which Americans have no conception. Fifteen minutes of such rain causes a flood, and when this continues hour after hour, arfd day after day, it may readily be supposed that life under can vas would speedily cause a large amount of mortal ity. Troops can only be maintained with any de gree of health at this season when quartered within houses, and it is matter of great congratulation that the Second Illinois received their notice to quit before the rains set in. As it was, the critical period was allowed to approach dangerously close, and the medical authorities became very anxious about the outlook. Certainly a prettier camp than Camp Columbia could hardly be found. The site at first chosen was not well calculated for convenience, as the pipes that had been laid to supply the camp with water were on the reverse side to the cook houses, so that it was necessary to convey all the water right through the camp to the places where it was to be used. A few days afterward, however, a change of base was effected, the camp being, as it were, countermarched, achieving a more common- sense result. The large, handsome marquees were laid out in the exact perfectly-dressed lines for ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 131 which the Second Illinois was noted. The ample space allotted admitted of wide streets, which the taste and ingenuity of ^ the men seemed never to tire of adorning. White sand from the seashore was utilized to form sidewalks before the tents. PETS. bordered by rows of the petrified sponges, which abound along this coast. Palm trees and huge cacti were transplanted and formed into picturesque avenues. At the head of each street was a design, according to the taste and fancy of the artists, in dicating the company to which it belonged. The officers' lines were laid out with no less taste and I32 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT symmetry. First the company officers' street, then the field officers, then the staff, with the colors fly ing in the center before the tent of the commanding officer. With the blue sea on the o>ne hand and a landscape of tropical beauty all around, the ensem ble formed a matchless coup d'oeil worth traveling far for, and old campaigners pronounced it to ex ceed anything in their experience. But lovely though the surroundings were, the men had not come there simply to enjoy scenery, and as week after week wore on without furnishing any more exciting episodes than guards, drills, parades, and interminable fatigues, the men fretted and \vorried over their forced inaction. Monotony is a soldier's bugbear. Keep him occupied with a varying range of duties, and he is content. But the same old thing every day palls. It must be remembered that the distractions possessed by the civilian are denied to the soldier. The daily toil of the former may be unchanging, but evening brings a respite and he is free for social amusement or any kind of recreation his soul may crave. To the soldier in camp though, day brings work, night brings sleep, and anything to break the deadly dull ness is eagerly craved. Such an occasion as the flag-raising ceremony, before described, is an event which has a markedly good result; it furnishes a topic of conversation for days, and relieves the feel ing of ennui. Newspapers and periodicals, and above all, letters from loved ones in "God's Coun try" are a great help. But though the kindness of ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 133 friends had furnished us amply with papers and magazines while within the confines of the United States, the supply fell woefully short in Cuba, and reading matter of any kind was sought for with avidity, and passed from hand to hand until fairly worn out by wear and tear. Sea-bathing at La Plaza de Marianas, a village about two miles distant, was a favorite diversion of such of the men as could obtain the necessary leave from camp. The beach was simply perfect. Smooth sand shelving rapidly downward enabled one to walk into a fair depth of water in a few paces, while a jetty close at hand formed an excel lent diving stage for swimmers. A number of dressing rooms with cement floors, which had been erected during the palmy days of La Playa when the village was a favorite resort of visitors from Havana, still existed in fairly good repair. On the other side of the camp, about a mile dis tant, lie the two large suburban villages of Quema- dos and Marianas, where Company L, under Cap tain Swatek, and Company C, under Captain Mair, were stationed for some time doing duty as provost guards. Passes were more easily obtainable for these places than for Havana, and were in great demand. The two villages adjoin, and really form one town with two railway depots. There are a number of handsome residences, some remarkably so, this being a place of summer resort for the wealthier classes of Havana, who come out to this comparatively cool and airy situation to avoid the HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT BONES OF THE POOR. long heated term of the tropical summer. The main street is made up of country stores, small posadas, and numerous fruit stores. At the end of the street crossing the brook is a long and well- built stone bridge, composed of a single arch which rises eighty feet above the stream below, which, except during the rainy season, is nearly dry, but becomes at that time a furious torrent. Near La PI ay a is a typical Cuban cemetery. In Cuba one does not buy a burial lot, but hires it for five years, paying in advance. If at the end of that period the rent for five more years is not forthcom- ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY '35 ing, the remains are dug up and thrown, uncovered, into a corner of the graveyard, where the bones lie in a mingled heap, a very repulsive sight, which it may be hoped a better government of the island will soon abolish. Of course, wherever soldiers are to be found, they accumulate pets. The band possessed a handsome St. Bernard dog, one of the largest and most digni fied of his kind, who had left his home at Savannah, and placed himself voluntarily under the protection of Mr. Smith's boys. Every company had its mas cot, dogs usually filling the position. In Jackson- REGIMENTAL MEAT MARKET. I3 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT ville certainly some companies possessed pigs for pets, but for some reason they never attained to a great age. Cats were very scarce, but several par rots found homes with the boys. A butcher shop was in operation where the meat, after having been drawn in bulk from the commis sary department, was cut up and distributed to the various company messes. This institution was managed by Private Nehlsen, Company M, under the direction of Captain Thompson, regimental commissary, except during the period that officer was detached for duty on the Havana police force, when, in addition to the regimental treasurership, involving supervision of the exchange, the bakery, and the regimental fund, Captain McFadden as sumed the office, being assisted by Commissary Sergeant Armstrong. The Regimental hospital, under charge of Major Marquis, the surgeon, with whom were Lieutenants Porter and Bath, assistant surgeons, was situated on the north side of the camp. Here were sent all the men whose names were entered on the sick book, to be examined. If seriously ill they would then be forwarded to the division hospital, if not, their cases would be met by admission into the regimental hospital, or by treatment in their quarters. Mrs. Moulton's con valescent ward, which had done such yeoman ser vice in Jacksonville, still remained as an adjunct to the hospital, but fortunately its usefulness was not tested so severely as it had been at that station. Hospital Stewards Barcal, Adams and Daniels, and ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 137 Private Walter Krembs proved able assistants to the medical officers, the latter officiating as statisti cal clerk, and being the active agent in promoting the Camp Fire Association. A handsome ambu lance, presented by Mrs. L. Z. Leiter, of Chicago, REGIMENTAL HOSPITAL IN CUBA. came to the regiment at this station, the public spirit of that generous lady being fully appreciated by the boys. The headquarters office, under the direction of First Lieutenant Frank W. Mechener, acting adju tant, ably assisted by Sergeant-Major Joseph R. Krueser, gained an excellent reputation for the regiment by its business-like and careful adminis tration, which excited the admiration of inspecting !3S HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT officers, and reflected great credit on the staff of the office. Sergeant-Major Krueser, who succeeded Sergeant-Major Peter Osmar on the retirement of the latter, presented, with his lofty stature and fine REGIMENTAL MAIL WAGON. figure, an appearance on parade as handsome as his services in the office were efficient, and attracted wide-eyed admiration from the small-sized Cubans, male and female. Hard by the headquarters tent was the post- office, presided over by the chaplain, Rev. Dr. H. W. Bolton, ably seconded by his untiring assistant, ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 139 Private Charles J. Smith, of Company B, who* de serves the greatest credit for his never-failing punc tuality, attention to duty, and courteous replies to all the manifold and various demands made upon him. Smith and his mail wagon were the center of interest every day about 3 p. m., and upon Smith's devoted head fell all the maledictions called for by the non-arrival of anxiously expected letters. Few men in the volunteer army so well fulfilled their duties as the quartermaster of the Second Illinois, Captain Frederick W. Laas. Of fine sol dierly appearance, well set-up, and an excellent horseman, no one would have ever dreamed that the Captain brought to his difficult duties no pre vious knowledge of active service. Yet so is was, but some men seem to fulfill intuitively the needs of any office to which they may be appointed, and such a man was Captain Laas. In the duties of his department he was faithfully assisted by Quarter master-Sergeant William A. Saunders, successor to Quartermaster-Sergeant John McFarlane, whose unfortunate illness, contracted through his over work and exposure at Jacksonville, had rendered him physically unfit to continue in the service. But the honors for good work and faithful per formance of duty were not confined to military men. The big tent between the lines of the One Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana and ours lightened many an hour that otherwise would have hung heavy on the hands of the boys. Under the auspices of the Secretary of the Regimental Branch of the Y. M. HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION TENT AND BAND STAND C. A., entertainments of various kinds, week-day religious services, and lectures, in which the institu tion met with hearty support at the hands of the Chaplain, lent color to the monotony of camp life. Mr. Chapin, the secretary, met with the common lot in the shape of an attack of sickness, but was quickly back at his duties, his performance of which had the approbation of the boys, among- whom he made many friends. On Sundays the big tent be came the regimental church, where the services, brightened by the music of the regimental band, formed a home-like oasis in the desert of soldiering, and were greatly appreciated. ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 141 A fine stable of horses was a feature of the Sec ond Illinois camp. The Colonel's two chargers, "Don" and "Dan," Lieutenant-Colonel Hotchkiss' "Roy," Major Dusenberry's "Dick," Major Purin- ton's "Charley," Major Marquis' "Poley," Quarter master Laas' "Nellie," the Chaplain's "Cowboy," Captain Thompson's "Duke," "Victor," and "Rose bud," Lieutenant Porters' "Fitzhugh Lee," Lieu tenant Mechener's "Dick," Lieutenant Scheying's "Baby," formed an aggregation of steeds of which any organization might well be proud. Major Stuart's fine animal, "King Hill," was away with his master on detached special service, and Captain REGIMENTAL STABLES. 142 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT Sherwin and his horse, "Harry," turned their faces homeward on the regiment coming to Cuba. The regimental hostlers, though at first many of them were green to their duties, rapidly developed into efficient grooms. One of them, Meyer Bass, of REGIMENTAL TEAMSTERS. Company B, was a somewhat remarkable character. Though by no means a large man, he possessed the muscular strength of three men, and was commonly known as "Sandow." Several of the wives of the officers of the regi ment, braving the hardships of camp life and the terrors of seasickness, accompanied the regiment, to share the privations of their husbands and dis gust the bachelors with their lonely lot. Very inappropriately they named their small colony H4 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT "Sunset Row," but the more fitting appellation be stowed on the little row of tents by the envious single men was "Paradise Alley." The fortunate men who were so highly favored were Major Dus- enberry, the Chaplain, Lieutenant Holden, Lieu tenant Titus, Captain Nussbaumer, and Lieutenant Mayeskie, the last-named, who was on the sick list seriously ill, making a rapid convalescence soon after the arrival of his wife. Early and late, morning, noon, and night, the teamsters who accompanied the regiment were at work with their teams of mules, hauling the innum erable matters which go toward rendering bearable the life of soldiers in the field. These men, though not enlisted, share with soldiers the dangers, toils and vicissitudes of service, and upon their faithful ness depends to a large degree the comfort and con sequent efficiency of their fighting comrades. CHAPTER XII HOMEWARD BOUND THE SECOND ILLINOIS LEAVES CUBA When the Second Illinois left Savannah in De cember, '98, and reached Sunny Cuba, the first ques tion the men began asking was, "How long will we be in Cuba?" They were conscious that no fight ing would be required of them, and that their term of service in the island would necessarily be limited to provost and camp duties. The American volun teer makes his calculations in war as well as in peace, and however pleasant the season or grand the country, the great objective HOME is always in his mind. But there was general satisfaction in the southward move into Cuba, because it brought us out of the miserable, cold, bleaky, pneumonia- breeding wintry season of the States. The general opinion among officers and men was that three months' duty in Cuba would let us out. The inference was about correct. There were several factors brought to bear in causing the regiment to leave Cuba after its four months' service. First, there was the unceasing political pressure brought to bear on the men in power by their con stituents who were either directly or indirectly 146 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT OFFICERS' MESS. interested in friends or relatives serving in Cuba, and who were afraid something might happen to the boys. Then there was the sure approach of the rainy season, the bugbear, fancied or real, of Cuba. The rainy season would undoubtedly con tribute largely to swelling the sick report, with the possibility of consequent deaths. Then the general prevalence of epidemic diseases, especially the yel low fever, which during the summer months is always to be dreaded, was something desirable to avoid. And then the final consideration that the war was ended. These were the factors which brought ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 147 all the volunteer troops out of Cuba early in the spring. For awhile it was persistently reported that the regiment would be ordered to the Isle of Pines, to hold the island as a United States posses sion. This report seemed to have such evidences REGIMENTAL BAKERY. of truth that many officers made preparations for packing. The Isle of Pines is said to be free from the malarious diseases so common on the main land, and also free from epidemic diseases. But while the men had no objections to going to the Isle of Pines for a little visit of a month or two, they hardly relished the whole summer in that sort H HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT of a Robinson Crusoe resort. But we didn't go to the Isle of Pines. The rumor gradually died out and the men all felt that the time of their departure was at hand. The breaking up of the splendid Seventh Army Corps began with the Southern regiments. It was argued that it would be better to first send home the Southern troops, because of the earlier advance of warm weather in the States, The Second Louisiana went first, then followed in quick succes sion the First Texas, Second South Carolina, First North Carolina, and Fourth Virginia, The leave- taking of the First North Carolina was not without considerable feeling. They were the first Southern regiment in Jacksonville, coming in right on the heels of the Second Illinois, who were the first to reach there. From the beginning of the arduous campaign, arduous because of the intense heat and fearful sick and death rate, these two regiments were brigaded together. 'Tis true that at first there were many lively exchanges of feeling, but the two regiments soon came to understand each other and either would fight for the other at the drop of the hat. The expression of the last good-by began with the men when the regiment, headed by its band, came down through our company streets playing with great fervor and feeling*. The soldiers shout ing "Viva Second Illinois," and each cheer brought back a lusty response. After the serenade, the Second Illinois band took the cue and stepped out ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY H9 of their quarters, playing "Auld Lang Syne." Then as the North Carolina men went back, our fellows concluded to make a like friendly invasion of their camp. So, headed by the band, the regi ment went in column of fours, lock-step, and, oh my, why the dagoes must have heard us up at Havana, They surely made the welkin ring. The night prior to the departure of our Carolina friends, our officers got together and decided to invite all their officers to take their last meal in camp with us. The difficult task of preparing a dinner for nearly one hundred people, far away from base of supplies and in a foreign land, fell to> the lot of convivial exchange officer Captain McFadden, and from the looks of the spread and the universal appreciation, the jolly Captain certainly deserved great credit. The whole of the staff, field and line officers of the First North Carolina were present and were sandwiched in at the table between our own officers, and at the conclusion of the meal there were few dry eyes and many affecting farewells. We are glad to add this testimony to< our Southern comrades, that the stars and stripes has nowhere more loyal defenders than among the people of the South. The War of the Rebellion has happily passed and is only now considered as a great his torical event. The One Hundred and Sixty-first Hoosier Regi ment preceded us by one day in our leave-taking of Cuba. There was considerable anxiety lest our monument should not be completed in time. The REGIMENTAL MONUMENT. ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 151 clay statue, which was no unpretentious work of art, unfortunately did not get the right kind of a bake, and much to* the general disappointment, the monument was finished in an extemporized fashion. Considerable feeling was also manifested that the regiment could not leave camp in a body. We had patiently submitted to the inconvenience of coming to Cuba in detachments, and it seemed only a mat ter of justice that we should have the small privilege of going out intact as a regiment. But such were not our orders, and the Second Illinois has always made it a duty to receive orders without question ing. But there is no doubt that we could have gone out as an organization had it not been that April ist was drawing near and in order to avoid the expensive delays of a five days' quarantine, troops had to be sent out in whatever way transport facilities afforded. Consequently Com panies C and L, under command of Captains Mair and Swatek, left first, on Wednesday, March 29th, aboard the Olivette. Right in this connection it is but just to mention something of the arduous services performed by these companies on provost duties in Quemados and Mariano. Company L was given Quemados, Company C, Mariano. These twin towns com prising a population of five thousand or six thou sand people, formed a sort of a suburb of Havana, and had a railroad running from Havana to Mariano, a distance of five miles, and from Mariano to Playa de Mariano, a little fishing village with 152 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT wharfage facilities, about two and a half miles from Mariano. Previous to the Second Illinois taking hold of this difficult work, complications between the railroad (owned by an English syndicate) and other provost companies became so frequent and serious as to be necessary to call in the British con sul to arbitrate matters. General Brooke, com mander of the Havana province, was addressed by the British consul to straighten out matters or else put on other provost men. It is a matter of proud record for these two< companies of the Second Illinois that as soon as they assumed duty and con trol no more trouble occurred. Officers and men took in the whole situation and went at matters in such a business-like and efficient manner that trouble ceased. The patroling of the towns, clos ing up the places of disorder, and quieting, as the Irishman said, the "obstreporeous" was done with such firmness that it commanded respect. So pleased was Mr. John McLean, manager of the Ferrocorril de Mariano (R. R.), that he wrote a highly complimentary letter to the General of Havana province concerning these companies, and as a measure of appreciation, furnished them, on the day of their leave, a special train with free transpor tation to Havana. The regiment left Cuba in detachments. Com panies C and L left Mariano* Wednesday, 9 o'clock, March 29th, over the Ferrocorril de Mariano. They disembarked at the Concha station and marched through part of the city of Havana down ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 1 53 to San Jose wharf, getting there at 10:30. Two hours later they got aboard lighters and were tugged out to the Olivette, lying in the harbor. At 2 p. m. the Olivette hoisted her anchors, that lay in the bottom of the harbor, and headed out past old Morro, for Key West, the Cuban's Mecca. Key West was reached about 9 o'clock that even ing. Here the Olivette disembarked many of her passengers, who were Cubans, and took on a few more passengers and baggage. In all there were about one hundred and fifty passengers aboard, not including the one hundred and sixty-five enlisted men of the two companies. The Olivette remained about one hour at the wharf, which afforded some opportunity to get ashore, but we still felt that wavy, snaky motion of the ship, only now it was the wharf that appeared in motion, and, singularly enough, many was the time that a passenger would stop to make sure if the dock was really in motion or not. Of course, the dock was stationary, but that peculiar sensation imparted by the ship's motion still existed in the brain of the land lubber, and so he declared the wharf did move, neverthe less. From Key West the destination was Tampa, via Mullet's Point of the Egmont Key. At Mullet's Point they have a detention station and a fumigat ing plant. All the soldiers' baggage and extra apparel were taken for disinfection. Not being able to hold the ship until the process was gone through with, the Olivette proceeded on to Tampa 154 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT to unload, while the baggage came on after in a special tug. From Tampa the route was to Savan nah, where they learned that Augusta, not Savan nah, was to be the muster-out point. Considerable disappointment was felt and after a two hours' rest, in which the men were called from labor to refresh ment, the journey was continued to Augusta, which city was reached Saturday morning, April ist. The troops went immediately into the camp left by the Thirty-fifth Michigan Volunteers, which regiment had been encamped there all winter. The remainder of the regiment went in two detachments. The first detachment, under com mand of Colonel Moulton, included the First and Third Battalions and staff, except Doctors Porter and Bath, who were assigned to the Second Bat talion, under command of Major Dusenberry. Colonel Moulton's detachment left camp at 6 130 Thursday, March 3Oth, and proceeded to the train about one-half mile away. By the train they went over the same route as Companies C and L, and landed in short order at the wharfs. The "Yar mouth" was the vessel assigned to them, and with out much delay officers, men and baggage were taken aboard, and shortly before noon the First and Third Battalions were taking their last look at the hazy coast lines of Cuba, now quickly vanishing out of sight. The "Yar mouth" "pursued the even tenor of her way" heading for Tampa, via Mullet's Point of the Eg- mont Key. Mullet's Point was reached Friday ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 155 morning about 9 o'clock, and here the same process of disinfection and fumigation of the baggage had to be endured. The baggage of this detachment was treated like that of Companies C and L, and was sent on later to the command at Tampa, The "Yarmouth" reached Tampa Friday, 3 p. m., March 3ist. Here a delay until n o'clock the fol lowing evening was caused by waiting the arrival of the baggage. This delay had the right sort of exasperation in it to cause the men to carefully rehearse their vocabulary. The choice selections of army rhetoric as applied to quarantine stations and fumigating plants would have baffled a modern lexicographer. This fumigating business did look like a gross imposition. The civilians aboard were not molested in person or baggage, whereas the poor soldier, who had been strictly kept away from all possibilities of contagion, with the little bundle of personal stuff he had been allowed to carry with him, had to< be subjected to the rigorous orders of a quarantine law. Many precious curios and pictures were more or less injured by the process, much to the sorrow of the owners. But the bag gage finally arrived, and the men were gotten aboard the cars, which were made into two sections, the first under command of Colonel Moulton, and the second under Major Purinton. The orders had been received to- go on to Augusta for muster out, and so the night of April 2d found the troops at the designated place. It was not considered advis able to leave the cars during the night, so the '56 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT bivouac was in the cars. Next morning the First and Third Battalions joined Companies C and L in their new location, Camp McKenzie, Augusta, Ga. TORPEDO BUILDING. The route taken by the Second Battalion, under command of Major Dusenberry, was different from that of the other two detachments. With the Sec ond Battalion were assigned staff officers, Drs. Por ter and Bath, the band, and the hospital corps. They remained on the ground until about 9 o'clock awaiting the train. There were many amusing scenes in watching the poor Cubans clean up the ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 157 camp. That is, every trifling article left behind, whether there was any value in it or not, wras picked up and carried off. In one instance there was a young man and woman, evidently newly married, getting their stock of household furniture from the odds and ends left behind. What wasn't car ried in the hands or under the arms or tied to the back, was carried on their heads. In another case a middle-aged seriorita, with a pumpkin complexion and mouth which, like the poor man's lease, ran from 'ear to 'ear, came about, accompanied by a little girl and a smaller boy. The aforesaid senorita was enjoying the delectable delight of a chew in the shape of a whole cigar which she had picked up. This lovely dame was busy piling various bric- a-brac on the heads of both boy and girl, until it seemed that there wasn't any longer any room left. Our genial junior dispenser of pills took in the humor of the situation, and, casting his observant eyes about him, saw a big po>le of bamboo on the ground. Picking up the pole, this modern follower of Esculapius approached the moon-mouthed lady, and, with a bow which would have done credit to Chesterfield, presented the lady with this pole in the finest strain of Spanish he could command. The aforesaid lady, hardly knowing what to make out of the presentation, took the pole with the utmost possible degree of politeness and marched off with it, to throw it away with an air of contempt language can never describe. But the last of the Second Illinois moved out at I58 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT 9 o'clock, the band playing merrily and everybody glad. Our train took us down to Concha station, where we formed and marched to the wharf. The music the Cubans heard that bright morning was such as only the band of the famous Second Illinois co'Uld give, and it was music truly. The natives everywhere lined the streets and cheered. Our wait at the dock was tedious. We were billed for the "Vigilancia," a Ward liner. She was due at 10 a. m., but did not come into the harbor till nearly 7 that evening. The all-day wait on the dock within a stone's throw of the worst district in Havana, made guard duty onerous and tiresome. For, however good the morale of a command may be, there are always a few who would try the patience of a Job. The day was spent consuming the travel rations. To the unsophisticated carpet gentry at home, accus tomed only to silver spoons and hotel menus, a meal or two on travel rations would most likely con sign them to that small piece of real estate known as the cemetery. But our fellows had learned by past experience how to eat travel rations and still live. Many old army songs were sung, with such vim and heartiness as to evoke cheers from the crews of the outlying ships. At evening the "Vigilancia" came proudly into the harbor and tied up to the clock. For a while it seemed that we would have to wait still further. The "Vigilancia" was capable of carrying 1,200 troops, while our command numbered only about ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 159 365 men and officers together. After considerable parleying the vessel was ordered to< coal and pro vision with all possible haste and get out. The quarantine was the thing to be avoided. So the troops embarked and went to bed. The night was hot and the men were allowed the privileges of the entire ship during the voyage. At 7 next morning, Friday, March 3ist, the "Vigilancia" steamed out past the gunboat "Resolute." Our band was on deck saluting the "Resolute" with that grand air "Stars and Stripes Forever," a most appropriate air in leaving. We cheered the "Resolute" and they in turn gave us three hearties. We reached Dry Tortugas, that famous seaside resort, at 3 p. m. the same day. This proved our Jonah. Go where we would to any little coral reef in the sea, the ever- present quarantine officer with his fumigating ap paratus was there. Not satisfied with a clean bill of health, it was still necessary to disinfect all bag gage and fumigate the ship. So we submitted to the inevitable, while the purser began calculating what each clay's delay cost the company. It was all in vain the solicitations of the surgeons that shore privileges be allowed the officers to visit the city, ride over their boulevards and dine in their cafes. The little marine surgeon listened very respectfully, and quietly informed the open- mouthed group of officers that their only public place was a detention hospital and that riding on boulevards was strictly confined to rowing a boat from one reef to another. And as for luncheon, i6o HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT they had salt fish, and for drink, cistern water. Oh, you should have seen those officers. Each seemed to look, "Who said I wanted shore leave?" It immediately occurred to everyone that the ship was the only and proper place for all. QUARTERMASTER'S DEPARTMENT. While the authorities were busy disinfecting and fumigating, everybody was enjoying the novel sight of seeing the sharks swim about the vessel and the myriads of fish that accompanied them. The water was clear as crystal, and objects could be seen to a great depth. The sight of the sharks, great big tawny brutes swimming about, made the ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY l6l boys feel that sea-bathing with such neighbors could be passed up. In the meanwhile Lieutenant Chamberlain conceived the idea of fishing for shark. So he secured a big iron hook from the chief offi cer and baited it with a big piece of pork, and, with a stout rope for a line, lowered it overboard. Well, the sharks came about, smelled the bait, and it was observed that they gave each other the wink. The sharks were evidently on to the fact that it was April Fool's day. At first we thought that was the reason they appeared so knowing. But later on as the line was hauled up, the cause for suspicion, even among the sharks, was apparent. The bait was not tied on to the hook properly. But as it was, about 1 1 o'clock there was great excitement on deck. It was seen that about twenty men were tugging at the line and hauling it in sailor-fashion. On the end of that line, with its jaw firmly shut over the hook, was a monster shark. The gyrations he performed were marvelous to behold. An old salt shouted to lasso his tail or he would get loose. This pleasing task fell to the lot of Lieutenant Herrick, who let loose a line which fell over the rear works of the shark. He was hauled up to the lower deck, but not until various kodakers had snapped him. On the lower deck he was firmly lashed fore, aft and middle. The next question was how to send the spirit of that shark into the shady realm. That pleasant lot fell naturally to the doctor, who was considered skilled in that particular specialty. The doctor secured a Krag bavonet and made a very !2 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT feeling penetration into the interior of the brute. This settled it. The stomach was then opened, but neither a cork leg, gold watch, nor a lady's hand were found there. The absence of any of those deli cacies certainly explained why the fish bit at the salt pork. The shark measured almost ten feet. The boys dug out his teeth for souvenirs, some of which are in the writer's possession. The delay occasioned by the quarantine allowed the band time enough to make a most appropriate selection of music for Easter Sunday. The con cert was given in the ship's saloon, and was cer tainly the most pleasing and entertaining we ever heard. The ship's officers became convinced that there was no band like the Second Illinois. Sunday evening, April 2d, we left Dry Tortugas and made for Savannah, forty hours away. From here the voyage was somewhat rough. Officers and men remained in their bunks. We sighted Tybee Island, Ga., about 10 o'clock Tuesday morn ing, April 4th, and, after considerable see sawing, tied to the Gordon wharf at Savan nah at 3 o'clock that afternoon. Here we learned that, like the rest of the command, we were destined for Augusta, During the interval awaiting the train, an elegant hot lunch was served the men, who had become tired of their travel rations. The lunch consisted of hot coffee, egg sandwiches, ham sandwiches, and scrambled eggs. We got aboard the cars at 10 p. m. We were sorry that we could not rejoin our Carolina ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 163 and Indiana friends, who were encamped on our old grounds at Savannah, but we all turned in and slept the sleep of the just, while the train rattled along toward Augusta, 133 miles away. Augusta was reached early in the morning of Wednesday, April 5th. After awaiting some time for another lunch to be served, we proceeded to Camp McKen- zie, rejoicing to be together again and on American soil, and proud of the notable distinction of being the only regiment to leave Cuba without the loss of a single man. CHAPTER XIII MAINE DAY AT HAVANA The Third Battalion and the band of the Second Illinois were selected to represent the infantry arm, Second Division of the Seventh Army Corps, on the occasion of decorating the graves of the victims of the "Maine" explosion, at the Colon Cemetery, Havana, on February 15, 1899. At i 130 p. m., the Third Battalion, under the command of Major Holman G. Purinton, fell in and marched to the Colon Cemetery, a distance of about seven miles. A large crowd, composed of Ameri cans, English, Spaniards, Cubans and other nations, was present. The ceremonies had commenced when our men arrived, the marines from the war ships "Texas" and "Resolute" conducting them. A memorial service was held, and a national salute was fired by the battery of light artillery. In addi tion to the Second Battalion, Second Illinois, there were present, representing their various commands, a battalion of the Third Nebraska, one of the Maine artillery, a battery of United States light artillery, and a troop of the Seventh Cavalry. At the con clusion of the ceremony all the troops were marched by the graves, which were lavishly decorated for the occasion. Our boys were surprised to see that 164 1 66 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT no headstones or permanent monuments of any kind had been erected, but it takes a considerable time to complete the design which has been made for the monument that is to be erected, and its not being ready does not imply any laxity or neglect. The battalion reached camp on its return at 6 p. m. ROLL OF HONOR. CAPTAIN WILLIAM A. CHADWICK, Company D. Died at Chatanooga, Tennessee, October 27. 1898. A faithful officer, and the ranking line officer of the regiment. FIRST LIEUTENANT ANDREW E. PAULSEN, Com pany C. Died at Jacksonville, Florida, October 30, 1898. CAPT. WILLIAM A. CHADWICK. ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY I67 CORPORAL G. H. KEAGLE. FIRST LIEUTENANT ELMER H. BEATTY. Was mus tered in with the regiment, but on July n, 1898, resigned, and, proceeding home, died in Chicago October 17, 1898. WILLIAM C. BRYANT, Company I. Died at Springfield, Illinois, May 22, 1898. FRANCIS W. CHESHIRE, Company H. Died at Spring field, Illinois, June n, 1898. FRANK J. RILEY, Company F. Died of typhoid fever at Jacksonville, Florida, July 4, 1898. HENRY C. BRAMEN, Company F. Died of typhoid fever at Jacksonville, Florida, July 12, 1898. CORPORAL GEORGE A. JACKSON, Company F. Died of typhoid fever at Jacksonville, Florida, July 15, 1898. ARTHUR V. COOPER, Company G. Died of typhoid fever at Jacksonville, Florida, August 19, 1898. 1 68 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT ERNEST SINCLAIR, Company C. Died of typhoid fever at Jacksonville, Florida, August 30, 1898. HERMAN STROBEL, Company L. Died of typhoid fever at Jacksonville, Florida, September 2, 1898. WILLIAM LEMBKE, Company C. Died of typhoid fever at Jacksonville, Florida, September 3, 1898. WILLIAM UMSTED, Company B. Died of typhoid fever at Jacksonville, Florida, September 9, 1898. GEORGE H. KEAGLE, Company B. Died of typhoid fever at Jacksonville, Fla., September 10, 1898. CHARLES DONLEY, Company L. Died of typhoid fever at Jacksonville, Florida, September 14, 1898. ARTHUR CONNELLY, Company L. Died of typhoid fever at Jacksonville, Florida, September 18, 1898. CHARLES HANSEN, Company G. Died of typhoid fever at Jacksonville, Fla., September 19, 1898. WILLIAM R. VEAZY, Company H. Died of typhoid fever at Jacksonville, Florida, September 22, 1898. ROBERT B. GUSHWA, Company I. Died of typhoid fever at Jacksonville, Florida, September 22, 1898. HENRY STEFFINS, Company L. Died of typhoid fever at Jacksonville, Florida, September 24, 1898. JERRY LEYHAN, Company M. Died of typhoid fever at Jacksonville, Florida, October 12, 1898. HENRY W. MARINER, Company D. Died of typhoid fever at Jacksonville, Florida, October 19, 1898. CHAPTER XIV. GENERAL BURT It was the rare good fortune of the Second Illi nois to be assigned to the First Brigade, Second Division, Seventh Army Corps, in more ways than one, and not the least of these was that of the as signment of General A. S. Bnrt as its brigade com mander. The possessor of great kindliness of heart, a genial and sympathetic disposition, combined with a cheerful demeanor, rare judgment in estimating the capabilities of officers and men, exactness of method, and fairness in the administration of jus tice, he exercised the strictest discipline over his command, with such a measure of comradeship that it made service under him a pleasure to the true soldier. He was a constant visitor at the hospitals, not only to see that the sick were receiving every attention possible under the circumstances, but to cheer and encourage the boys personally. He would tell them funny stories and try to rouse them from the deathly grasp of homesickness, which has caused so many cases of fever to result fatally. He instituted field sports in his command to inter est and encourage those whom the fever had yet spared. Field days were designated, and prizes 169 GEN. A. S. BURT. 170 ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY I71 offered for the successful contestants in the differ ent events. A small entrance fee was charged, and the profits devoted to purchasing delicacies for the sick. Learning that a bugler (Toolen, of "M") who had for a short time been detailed on duty at brigade headquarters, was down with the fever, he at once started out to find him, and was obliged to make three trips to the Second Division hos pital before he located him. By these kindly min istrations he endeared himself to every man of the regiment, and was soon called General "Andy" Burt by all the boys. The "star" of a general did not obliterate the humanity that possessed him. The following letter from the field agent of the American National Red Cross Society, upon learn ing of his resignation as commander of the First Brigade, speaks for itself: THE AMERICAN NATIONAL RED CROSS. Field Station, Jacksonville, Fla., Oct. 17, 1898. Brigadier-General A. S. Burt. My Dear General : I learn with surprise and regret that you have been suddenly relieved of your command in the Seventh Army Corps. This I regard as a calamity, not only to the troops directly under your charge, but to the sick through out the division. It is not too> much to say that no other officer of your rank has been so actively and energetically concerned to secure for the sick that quality of nursing, diet and medical attention which regard for their welfare demanded. No other that I know of has visited the hospital at mid night to assure himself that the sick were receiving I72 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT proper attention. Your genuine interest in your men has been matter of favorable comment every where, and has won for you a popularity in your own brigade which is known throughout the camp. Hoping that this blunder and injustice may be speedily corrected, and you restored to your old relations, I am, with great respect and esteem, Yours most sincerely, ALEX KENT, Field Agent. The restraint imposed upon the soldiers on drill or parade seemed always to worry the General, and he invariably cautioned commanding officers to be sure and give the command "at ease" or "rest" upon all possible occasions. Upon the occasion of the presentation of a stand of colors to the regiment by Governor Tanner, of Illinois, at Jacksonville, Fla., the regiment being in "line of masses" at "attention," General Burt, who accompanied the Governor, took a position nearly in front of the Third Battalion, and shortly became cognizant of the fact that long speeches were the order of the day. He was not unmindful of the constrained position of the officers and men in his front, and, attracting the attention of Major Purinton, commanding the battalion, signaled to him to give the command "at ease." The Major was now more uncomfortable than ever, well knowT- ing that he (the Major) had no right to give such a command when the regimental commander was present. He looked toward Colonel Moulton and then at the General, and shook his head. The Gen- ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 1 73 eral smiled, and, placing his hand to his mouth, hoarsely whispered : "I'll assume the responsibil ity." The command was instantly given, and the men, who had noticed the incident, smiled with sat isfaction as they took a more comfortable position to hear the eloquent remarks of the Governor of Illinois and the response of Colonel Moulton. The camp of the Second at Jacksonville lay between brigade headquarters and the street rail way, so that the General, to reach the cars, passed through the camp of the regiment. He had a kind ly word and nod of recognition for all as he passed, and sometimes; when the General had stayed in town until after "challenging" by the sentinels had commenced, and official "recognition" was neces sary, different words were said, here unsaid. The strict rules of the camp (the General's orders) often acted as a boomerang upon him, causing him to be delayed in getting to his quarters. One dark night, upon being challenged by number one, he answered, "General officer." The sentinel quickly called, "Corporal of the guard, general officer." But the General was in a hurry, a storm was threat ening and the Corporal was not closely at hand. He addressed the sentinel : "Don't you recognize me as your commanding General?" "I know you are General Burt, sir," replied the sentinel, "but you cannot pass this post until the Corporal ad vances you." "I'll bet you I do," said the General, advancing toward the sentinel. Quickly came the response, the point of the sentinel's bayonet drop- !74 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT ping to a line with the General's breast, "I'll bet my month's salary against yours you don't !" The prompt arrival of the Corporal of the guard relieved the tension, the sentinel saluted the General, and resumed walking his post. The General proceeded to his quarters, saying to his staff officer accom panying him : "I will have to modify those orders or else go around the Second Illinois camp in the future. They are too punctilious for one's com fort." It is needless to say, however, that his slight annoyance never resulted in a change of the orders. It was an object lesson to the officers of the Sec ond to watch the affection springing up between the commanding General and the soldiers of the First Brigade. This affection was not on account of favors granted, of discipline relaxed, or compli ments bestowed, but a natural growth resulting from recognized worth. Each succeeding day dis covered new traits which endeared him to the men. His happy faculty of pleasantly addressing a soldier, questioning him in regard to his comfort or duty, giving him advice, together with his keen appre ciation of a witty response to his sometimes pointed questions added not a little to his popularity. During the summer of 1898 the General took a short leave of absence, visiting his son in Chicago during that time. On resuming command of his brigade, Colonel Moulton notified the officers of his command that a serenade to the General would be in order in the evening, and directed the assembling of the regiment without the calls being m GEN. MACEO. I76 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT sounded. At the appointed time the band struck up a lively march and headed for brigade head quarters, a few hundred yards away, but hidden from view by trees. General Burt was sitting in front of his tent, conversing with his staff, and, hearing the Second's band playing, remarked : "The Second Regiment is serenading its Colonel again. It's a wonder that Colonel Moulton wouldn't bring his blanked band over here and serenade me; haven't heard any good music for some time." About this time the General realized that the music was getting nearer, and soon the entire regiment came into view, marching straight for the General. Battalions were closed in mass on three sides of a square, inclosing the General, Colonel Moulton and their respective staffs. The General quietly remarked : "You only have to express the wish and the Second Illinois does the rest." Colonel Moulton made a feeling speech in behalf of the officers and soldiers of the regiment, welcom ing back to his command their beloved commander. General Burt stepped a few paces nearer the lines and said : "Officers and men of the Second Illinois —I say men, because you have earned that title in its fullest sense, I am now going to give my first command on resuming charge of the Frist Brigade. 'Rest? " Instantly the cheers of eleven hundred men burst forth spontaneously, fully testifying to his hold upon the hearts of his soldiers. The Gen eral made an eloquent speech, full of complimentary reference to the Second. During his remarks he ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 177 related the following incident which occurred in Chicago during his visit : "I had occasion to visit a building said to be located at the corner of Mad ison and State Streets, but as usual there were four corners, and, wishing to save time, I stepped up to a policeman on duty at the crossing, and, by the way, he was an elegant representative of the 'Old Sod.' Putting on my most military aspect, with my chest thrown well to the front, I saluted him and asked : 'Mr. Officer, can you tell me where the Champlain Building is located?' 'Straight forninst ye, there,' said he. In my hurry I had walked a few steps away before I recollected that I had forgotten to thank the policeman, so I re turned to him, straightened up, saluted him, and said, 'Thank you, Mr. Officer,' who replied, 'Arrah ! Go on wid ye. Are yez dhrunk or a lu- nat-ic?' Now, from the behavior of the Second in camp, I judge that it will not be very long after the regiment returns home before the Chicago policemen become accustomed to military civility." Early in October a cloud settled over the regi ment. General Order No. 162, War Department, was issued. Under its provisions General Burt was to be mustered out of the volunteer service and re turned to his former command in the regular estab lishment, Colonel of the Twenty-fifth Infantry. This was a sore disappointment to officers and men alike, and expressions of regret were heard on every side. A committee was appointed by the officers to draft a set of resolutions and to procure I78 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT a sword to be presented to the General as a testi monial of the regard in which he is held by the officers and men of the regiment. On October i6th the last official communication was distributed to his command: CAMP CUBA LIBRE, Jacksonville, Fla., Oct. 16, 1898. To the Officers and Soldiers, First Brigade, Second Division, Seventh Army Corps. COMRADES : — My successor has taken command, and I must say good-by. I do so with great sorrow at leav ing you. I thank you sincerely for the effort you have made to be the best brigade in this corps. I know and appreciate how hard you have worked to- perfect yourselves in drills, and other duties of a soldier. How well you have succeeded is a matter of record. Good-by, comrades, my heart will be with you always. A. S. BURT, Brigadier-General Volunteers. On the evening of his departure from Jackson ville, the officers of the regiment, accompanied by the band and a committee of three men from each company, called at the Windsor Hotel, the pro prietors kindly donating the use of its fine parlors for the occasion. The General was invited to the "front and cen ter," where Major Purinton, in behalf of the offi cers and men, presented him with a beautifully en grossed set of resolutions, as follows ; ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 179 To Brigadier-General Andrew S. Burt, U. S. A., Camp Cuba Libre, Jacksonville, Florida, Oct. 19, 1898. GENERAL : — On the occasion of your handing over the com mand of the First Brigade, Second Division, Sev enth Army Corps, to your successor, the officers and soldiers of the Second Illinois Volunteer In fantry cannot refrain from respectfully expressing to you their high sense of the uniform kindness and consideration with which you have ever treated them, and which you have known how to combine so happily with soldierly firmness and decision. You have succeeded in creating a command sec ond to none in drill, in discipline, and in military deportment, and which furnishes an example to other brigades in health, comfort and contentment of the officers and soldiers composing it. In sickness and in health, in rain and in sunshine, whether on the drill ground or in the many per plexing details of camp life, we have felt your guid ing hand, your prompt aid, and your wise and judi cious counsel. Circumstances have not permitted us the privi lege of sharing with you the glories of the battle field, and showing the results of your teaching, but be assured that, if ever such an opportunity shall offer, the brigade which General Burt formed, organized, taught, and so carefully tended, will so acquit itself as to bring no discredit upon its old commander. In bidding you farewell, we respectfully beg your acceptance of a sword, as a slight token of the affec tion and admiration we feel for you, both as an offi cer and as a man. We shall follow your future career with the friendliest interest, confident that I So HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT should occasion arise you will surpass your already distinguished record. Good-by, General, you will always occupy a warm place in the hearts of the First Brigade, par ticularly those of the Second Illinois. (Signed.) GEORGE M. MOULTON, Colonel 2d 111. Vol. Inf. FRANK W. MECHENER, First Lieutenant and Acting Adjutant. Owing to the suddenness of the General's de parture, the manufacturers were unable to finish the sword, and it was forwarded to him a few days later. The sword is a, beautiful piece of work, the blade being of Damascus steel, beautifully etched and of So'lingeivs finest work. The grip is made of mother of pearl, bound with heavy gold wire, the guard being of gold in open work artistically wrought. The scabbard is elaborately etched with intricate designs, the open wrork mountings being- all heavily plated. The inscription on the scabbard is: "Presented to Brigadier-General Andrew S. Burt, First Brigade, Second Division, Seventh Army Corps, as a token of the regard in which he is held by the officers and men of the Second Illinois Volunteer Infantry." There was also^ sent a magnificent sword knot attached to the belt. Accompanying the gift was a list of the officers and men who contributed to this testimonial, all engrossed on parchment, the list of names being arranged alphabetically. ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY il The General acknowledged the receipt of the sword in the following letter: George M. Moulton, Colonel Second Illinois Vol unteer Infantry. DEAR COLONEL : I desire to inform you and other dear comrades of the Second Illinois that the beautiful sword was received last night. It certainly is very handsome. I shall cherish it the more that it comes to me with such loving expressions of esteem. The inscrip tion upon the scabbard, and the expressions con tained in the accompanying resolutions, fill my old heart with pleasure. I don't know what I ever did to deserve so much of you all. Again I thank you with a full and loving heart for my bully old Second Illinois. God bless you, and good luck go with you. I know full well if the regiment is ever called on to show itself as good soldiers and gallant gen tlemen, every one, the call will not be in vain. And oh, if I could only be with you when that time comes. Your loving comrade, A. S. BURT, Colonel Twenty-fifth United States Infantry and Brigadier-General. Volunteers. General Burt sincerely regretted that his brigade was not sent to the front, and often spoke of the "hard luck which bottled up such a fine organiza tion of fighting men." The following is from Hamersley's "Lives of Regular Officers who served in the War of the Re bellion" : "General Burt was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, 182 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT November 21, 1839. In April, 1861, he volun teered in the Sixth Ohio Infantry, and was subse quently made a sergeant. The same year he ac cepted a first lieutenancy in the Eighteenth United States Infantry, with which command he went into the field in 1861. The command was attached to the Third Brigade, First Division of the Army of the Ohio, Colonel Robert L. McCook and Brig adier-General George H. Thomas commanding, respectively. Lieutenant Burt was detailed as aide- de-camp on the brigade staff. At the battle of Mill Springs he was wounded, and was brevetted cap tain for gallant service; he was appointed additional aide-de-camp on the staff of General Halleck and assigned to serve with Colonel McCook. The same year he was made assistant adjutant-general of the brigade, and continued as such until Colonel Mc- Cook's death. "In January, 1863, he reported to General Rose- crans, commanding the Army of the Cumberland, and by him was assigned to the inspector-general's department of his staff, serving so through Hoover's Gap and Tullahoma campaigns, advance beyond Chattanooga, and in the battle of Chicka- mauga. He was commended in reports by the commanding general for services in the campaign and battle of Chickamauga. Captain Burt was specially mentioned for gallant service in that battle by Major-General Alexander McCook, command ing a corps. "In the fall of 1863, at his own request, he relin- ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY I §3 quished his staff appointment and took command « of his Company F, First Battalion, Eighteenth In fantry. He commanded that company in the charge on Missionary Ridge. General Palmer, commanding, immediately after the victorious assault, thanked the company for its. gallant sendee on that occasion. "Captain Burt commanded his Company F, Eighteenth Infantry, part of the Regular Brigade of the Fourteenth Army Corps, in the Atlanta cam paign, and was in the actions participated in by his regiment from Buzzard's Roost to Jonesboro, and received the personal thanks of the detachment commander for gallant service in the last battle. He was mentioned in reports for services in the Atlanta campaign by the detachment commander, as well as by General Thomas. He was brevetted major, 1864, for gallant services in the Atlanta cam paign and at the battle of Jonesboro. Major Burt marched, in 1866, with his company from Fort Leavenworth to> Fort Bridger. "In the fall of 1877, while in command of a de tachment of recruits en route to> Fort McKinney, he was attacked by Indians under Red Cloud, at Crazy Woman's Fork, and the Indians were beaten off. ' "While in command of Fort C. F. Smith, Mon tana, in 1868, he had two* successful skirmishes with hostile Indians. From 1865 until 1878, Major Burt, in command of his company, was nearly every year changing stations or on expeditions with 184 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT .all the difficulties of marching- on the frontier in the hostile Indian days. "He was in Stanley's Yellowstone expedition in 1873; with Colonel Dodge's command as escort to the Jenny expedition to the Black Hills in 1875; General Crook's expedition, 1876, and commanded a battalion of two companies in the attack by Indi ans on the command camped on Powder River. "At the battle of the Rosebud, General Crook, having ordered the withdrawal of Colonel Royal's battalion of cavalry from a certain position on the field, the retreat became a route under the Indians' hand-to-hand assault. Major Burt, with his com pany, and that of Major Burrows, was detailed 'to stop those Indians,' which the two companies did, and the hard-pressed cavalry battalion was rescued from a precarious position. "At 'Slim Buttes,' same campaign, Major Burt commanded a battalion in the repulse of an Indian attack. "In 1877, Major Burt, with his company, was part of General King's command, sent to Chicago during the riots, "In 1879, his company was especially selected to proceed to Hastings, Nebraska, to protect Judge Gaslin in holding court against the possible inter ference of hostile cowboys, some of their number being tried at the time for an atrocious murder. The Major and his company received public thanks and commendation of Judge Gaslin and the offi cials for the manner in which the duty was per formed on this occasion. ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY I $5 "While in command of Fort Bidwell, California, in 1885, the citizens of that region, in a series of published resolutions, thanked Major Burt for his excellent efforts in preventing an Indian outbreak. "He was promoted Lieutenant-Colonel of the Seventh Infantry, January i, 1888, and to< Colonel of the Twenty-fifth United States Infantry in 1896. "General Burt is the author of W. F. Cody's (Buffalo Bill) most successful play, 'May Cody, or Lost and Won/ " Summary of his Military History :— Private, Company A, Sixth Ohio. Sergeant, Company A, Sixth Ohio. Captain, Aide-de-Camp. First Lieutenant, Eighteenth U. S. Infantry. Major, Eighth U. S. Infantry. Lieutenant-Colonel, Seventh U. S. Infantry. Colonel, Twenty-fifth U. S. Infantry. Brigadier-General, First Brigade, Second Divi sion, Seventh Army Corps, U. S. Volunteers. Mustered out as Brigadier-General Volunteers, December 31, 1898, returning to his old command, the Twenty-fifth U. S. Infantry, now stationed at Fort Logan, Colorado. General Burt is somewhat of a "joiner," being a member of the Society of Colonial Wars, State of Illinois; Sons of the Revolution, Montana; Society of the War of 1812; Loyal Legion, Ohio Chapter; Grand Army of the Republic. He is also a Mason, and a member of St. Omer Commanclery No. 9, Knights Templar, Missoula, Montana, While at 1 86 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT Jacksonville, Florida, he had the nerve to join the "Shrine," notwithstanding the fact that many of his officers were "Shriners" and "out of a job." These "Shriners," as well as the General himself, will not soon forget that evening. In returning to his old rank and command in the regular establishment, the General takes with him the affection and best wishes of the entire roster of the soldiers of the Second Illinois. In the words of one of them, "He's the right stuff." OLD GLORY. CHAPTER XV STAFF. COLONEL GEORGE M. MOULTON Colonel Moulton, commanding the Second Illi nois Volunteer Infantry, was born in Readsboro, Vermont, March 15, 1851, inheriting a robust and hardy constitution that has proved of inestimable value to him, He came early in life to Chicago. Educated at the public schools of that city, he ab sorbed readily the spirit of self-reliance which dis tinguishes the youth of Chicago. He married Miss Flora A. Garland, a lady who has been to him a constant and helpful companion, and whose untir ing efforts on behalf of the sick of the regiment dur ing the campaign earned for her the respect and affection of the officers and men of the command. Two children have been born to Colonel and Mrs. Moulton, Edith May (now Mrs. J. H. Mur phy) and Arthur Garland. The Colonel has been by profession for many years a successful contractor and builder on an ex tensive scale, his firm being specially noted for the construction of grain elevators. His patriotism and public spirit have found expression in the military service of the state, to 187 COL. GEORGE M. MOULTON. 1 88 ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY I #9 which he has been long a prominent and distin guished ornament. Taking no conspicuous part in politics, he has never sought advancement along that line, though his shrewdness, tact, and sagacity, combined with sterling honesty and straightforwardness, render him eminently fit for high public office. In Masonic circles he has reached a high position and possesses hosts of friends. He is Very Emi nent Grand Generalissimo of the Grand Encamp ment. During the Spanish war his evident merit at tracted the attention of his military superiors, and caused his appointment to the important and oner ous position of Chief of Police of the city of Havana, The fact that the Second Illinois was second to none in the volunteer army was mainly due to Colonel Moulton's foresight, watchful care and an intimate knowledge of military duty, as well as to his business aptitude and untiring energy. MILITARY RECORD. Colonel Moulton enlisted in the Second Regi ment, and was elected Major July ist, 1884, which position he held until January 4, 1889. In 1893 General Wheeler nominated him as Inspector of Rifle Practice on his staff, and he was commis sioned as Lieutenant-Colonel; and on February 17, 1894, he was elected and commissioned Colonel of the Second Illinois National Guard, which position 19° HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT he held at the time of the President's call for troops. He arranged his business interests so as to be absent for an indefinite time, and was in service with the regiment until April 26, 1899, when he was mustered out of the United States service, but still holds the position of Colonel of the Second Regiment of Illinois National Guards, and will until his successor is elected and commissioned. Every man in the regiment, so far as is known, wants to see him reflected or advanced to the grade of Brigadier-General. He knows how to handle and care for men. LIEUTENANT-COLONEL WILLIAM DYE HOTCH- KISS. The second in command of the Second, is a native Chicagoan, and was born April 18, 1857. He was educated in the Chicago public and high schools and later took a two years' course in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, during which time he also took the military course in engineering, signal corps, artillery, and infantry branches. Returning to Chicago, he engaged in the profession of civil engineer and was at various times employed by the various railroads entering Chicago. He was employed by the old Atlantic and Pacific Railway Co., and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Co. during the extension of their lines through New Mexico and Colorado, and also by the Chicago & Northwestern Railway Co. during ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 191 the extension of their lines through the Northwest. For the past twelve years he has been in the employ of the city of Chicago, and has engaged in nearly all of the great engineering projects of the city in that time. LIEUT.-COL. W. D. HOTCHKISS. In 1883 he married Miss Carrie E. Carr, and two children are the result of the union: Charles C, aged thirteen years, and Allita Frances, aged seven years. Colonel Hotchkiss' father, General C. T. Hotch- I92 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT kiss, is a veteran of the Civil War, and it is but natural that the son should inherit the military ardor of the father. Indeed, the Colonel avers that he knew the "manual of arms" as far back as he can remember, so when, early in 1887, he was chosen First Lieutenant of Company B, Second Infantry, Illinois National Guards, it was but the natural course of events, destined to be the starting point of a creditable military career. Early in 1888 he was elected to the Captaincy of the company. In 1890 he was elected Lieutenant-Colonel, and was mustered into the United States service as such, May 1 6, 1898. Early in June, 1898, when Major Stuart was de tailed on special duty by the war department, Colonel Hotchkiss assumed command of the First Battalion, and continued until Colonel Moulton left for Havana, when he took command of the regiment. Early in December, 1898, while the regiment was at Savannah, Georgia, Colonel Moulton received orders to proceed to Havana in advance of his command, and assume the duties of Chief of Police of the city of Havana, This left Colonel Hotchkiss in command, and it was under his leadership the regiment went to Cuba. Jan uary i, 1899, the regiment, under his command, participated in the ceremonies incidental to the evacuation of the city of Havana by the Spanish, and as part of the Seventh Corps, paraded through the principal streets of Havana, under General Fitz- hngh Lee. ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 193 Colonel Hotchkiss is a hard-working, studious officer, and as senior field officer of the regiment, constituted that august body, the regimental "Sum mary Court," before whom is brought the soldier who imprudently violates certain articles of the inexorable "Articles of War." The duties of the office are trying in the extreme, but Colonel Hotchkiss impartially, and without fear or favor, dispensed military justice with a firm hand, and his decisions were accepted without question. Personally, Colonel Hotchkiss is quiet and unas suming, with a capacity for hard work, and all his efforts are marked by extreme conscientiousness and his sincerity in all his actions has never been questioned. He is a lover of the horse, and prob ably spent more time in the saddle than any officer in the regiment. He is a member of the Western Society of Engi neers, and is a man of domestic inclinations, his home life being highly felicitous, MAJOR G. FRANK LYDSTON. Major Lydston was born March 3, 1858, amid the oranges and sunshine of California. He received his early education in the land of flowers, and early in the '/o's removed to Chicago, where he continued the study of the profession of which he no\v stands at the head. He was grad uated later from the Bellevue Medical College, New York, as physician and Surgeon, and returned to Chicago, where he commenced the practice which has since brought him fame and fortune. *94 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT To-day, Major Lydston is recognized to be one of the foremost physicians and surgeons in Amer ica and as an authority on genito-urinary surgery is acknowledged to be without a peer in this coun try. He is a prolific and voluminous writer, both from a medical and literary standpoint, and his essays on medical and surgical questions are re ceived with the greatest of interest throughout the medical world. He is a member of the faculty of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Chicago, and probably enjoys one of the largest private prac tices in the West. Notwithstanding his busy professional life, he early evinced a liking for the military. In 1876 he enlisted in the First Infantry, Illinois National Guard, then organizing, and served throughout that year and the following year. His rapidly growing practice prevented his continuance in the state service. March 2, 1894, he reentered the service as Major and Surgeon on the staff of Colonel Moulton. He was mustered into the United States service as such May 14, 1898, and the fact that only fifty-one members out of over one thousand one hundred that reported at Spring field, Illinois, with the regiment were rejected for physical defects, speaks volumes for the careful and efficient manner Major Lydston looked after the caliber of men he passed upon as fit to enter the state service. It did not take long, after the regiment's arrival ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 195 MAJOR G. F. LYDSTON. in Jacksonville, Florida, for the division and corps officials to recognize Major Lydston's ability as a surgeon, and whenever a serious case for the sur geon made its appearance, he was called upon to handle it. To such an extent did this practice grow that it was intimated to the Major that he was to be detailed as chief operating surgeon of the Second Division Hospital. The Major investi gated the rumor and found it to be true. He could not see the justice of such a move, and held that he had given up a lucrative practice to> go to the front with his regiment, and believed that he was doing 196 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT his duty to his country and regiment by taking care of "his own boys," and further than this no one could ask more. He emphasized his refusal to be separated from his regiment, and his action was heartily endorsed by every member of the regiment, who had come to admire and respect their efficient surgeon. The intention of the "powers that be" could not be altered, however, and much to the regret of himself and the regiment, he was forced to resign, rather than to disobey the forthcoming order that would separate him from his comrades of the Second Illinois. This occurred June 21, 1898, and his departure was deplored as a personal affliction by the entire regiment. The Major is a married man, and is the father of two children. He is a member of. various literary and medical societies and has also a membership in the St. Bernard Commandery K. T., Chicago, and the Oriental Consistory, S. P. R. S. MAJOR AND SURGEON GEORGE PAUL MARQUIS. Dr. Marquis is a Pennsylvanian from Allegheny. He was born on September 12, 1868, but at an early age took Horace Greeley's advice. His primary education was received at the public schools of St. Louis and Chicago, and after com pleting his course in the high school of the latter city, he proceeded to Washington Jefferson Col lege, in Washington, in his native state, graduating with the degree of A.B. in 1889. Returning to Chicago, he entered the Chicago Medical College ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY I97 (now the medical department of Northwestern University), and graduated with the degree of M.D. in 1892, and during the same year received the degree of A.M. from his alma mater. He was appointed Attending Surgeon at the World's MAJOR GEORGE P. MARQUIS. Columbian Exposition, and shortly after its close went abroad, spending two years in post graduate study in Berlin and Vienna, where he acquired the excellent German accent which is the envy of his friends. Dr. Marquis has an excellent practice as a physi- 19 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT cian and surgeon in Chicago, which he relin quished to proceed to the front with his regiment at the President's call to arms in April, 1898. He then occupied the post of Assistant Surgeon to the Second Regiment, Illinois National Guard. On the retirement of Dr. Lydston in June, Dr. Mar quis was at once selected as the former's successor as Major and Surgeon, a choice subsequent events proved to be a most judicious one. His knowl edge of sanitation, his devotion to duty, and profes sional skill, did much to keep down the outbreak of sickness in Jacksonville, and to minimize fatal results. His services during the campaign were without a break except when for one brief period illness caused an intermission, at which time the excellence of the organization of the regimental hospital prevented any difficulty attending its tem porary transfer to the hands of Lieutenant Porter. Major Marquis is unmarried as yet, but has plenty of time in which to repent. MILITARY RECORD. First Lieutenant and Assistant Surgeon Second Illinois National Guard; First Lieutenant and Assistant Surgeon Second Illinois Volunteer In fantry, April 26, 1898, to July i, 1898; Major and Surgeon Second Illinois Volunteer Infantry since July 2, 1898. CAPT. JAMES P. SHERWIN. 199 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT CAPTAIN JAMES P. SHERWIN. Captain Sherwin was born in Gouverneur, N. Y., 51 years ago, and removed to Chicago while a young man and began an active business career in that city. He is a Board of Trade operator by profession and is interested in several Chicago enterprises. He began his military career March 2, 1894, as Captain and Inspector of Rifle Practice on the staff of Colonel Moulton, and saw active service throughout the great railroad strikes of that year. February i, 1895, he was made Adjutant of the regiment and entered the service of the United States as such, with the regiment on May 16, 1898. During the regiment's long stay in the South the Captain's health was not of the best, and matters became so serious that December 10, 1898, he was reluctantly forced to tender his resignation. The acceptance, however, was not received until after the regiment reached Havana, December I5th, and he had the honor of accompanying the regiment to Cuba. Captain Sherwin proved to be an efficient and conscientious officer and his attention to the detail work of his office was a subject of commendation, and much of the regiment's splendid record for work, ably and efficiently performed, may be traced to Captain Sherwin's able conduct of the office of Adjutant. In civil life the Captain is prominent in social and Masonic circles, and is a member of Chevalier Bay- ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 2OI ard Commandery, No. 52, K. T. of Chicago, of which he is Past Commander; Oriental Consistory, S. P. R. S. of Chicago, and Medinah Temple A. A. O. Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Chicago. He is Past Grand Commander of the State of Illinois Knights Templars, and is also prominent in club circles. CAPT. F. W. LAAS. CAPTAIN AND QUARTERMASTER FREDERICK \V. LAAS. Captain Laas was born in Muskegon, Michigan, April 4, 1864, but his parents moved to Chicago in time for him to receive his education in the pub- HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT lie schools of that city. At the age of sixteen Cap tain Laas enlisted in Troop E, First Cavalry Illinois National Guard, and from that time his service in one branch or another of the National Guard of Illinois has been continuous. Captain Laas at the outbreak of the war was Quartermaster in the Second Illinois National Guard, and retained the same position in the Second Illinois Volunteer Infantry. The man fitted the occasion and the occasion fitted the man. The duties of his difficult office were discharged to the satisfaction of all, superiors and inferiors alike, and when that happy and unusual result is achieved it may truly be said that there is the right man in the right place. The hard work and responsibility attaching to the equipping and clothing a regiment for the field is a matter that can hardly be realized by those who have not had practical experience of the difficulties, worries, annoyances, and rebuffs experienced. This he did at first; subsequently Captain Stephen P. Thompson became commissary officer, and shared the responsibilities. All these obstacles were successfully surmounted by the genial Quar termaster of the Second Illinois, who, in spite of his close attention to> duty and indefatigable efforts, enjoys the distinction of being the one officer who was never sick or sorry from first to last, and who never had a day's leave from the beginning to the end of the campaign. The following is Captain Laas' military record: Captain Laas enlisted in Troop E on September ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY -03 i, 1880; served in different capacities in the National Guard until May 16, 1898, and was then mustered as Captain and Quartermaster, which position he held until the muster out of the regi ment. CAPT. S. B. THOMPSON. CAPTAIN STEPHEN B. THOMPSON, Captain Thompson was born May 6, 1849, on a farm near Nineveh, Greene county, Pennsylvania, and was educated in the public schools of that county. At the breaking out of the war in 1861, he proceeded to Camp Howe, Pittsburg, and was enrolled as a drummer boy. Although under the 204 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT legal age for enlistment, he was a stout lad for his years and a year later he succeeded in enlisting as a private in Troop C, Eighteenth Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry, and served continuously in the same troop during the war, being mustered out as a sergeant November 4, 1865. During the years 1862-63 his command was a part of the Army of the Potomac, under General Kilpatrick. His regiment participated in the Gettysburg campaign, and in 1863 was transferred to the Army of the Shenandoah and assigned to the Third Division Cavalry Corps, commanded by the lamented General George A. Custer. His troop participated in every engagement of Sheri dan's Army up to and including Rockfish Gap, Virginia, March 6, 1865, at which place he was wounded,- but recovered and rejoined his troop in the summer at Clarksburg, Virginia. After the war Captain Thompson entered upon an active business career, and, at the present time, is a part owner of the Bank of Montpelier, Mont- pelier, Idaho, and a stockholder and director of the Fenton Metallic Mfg. Co., of Jamestown, N. Y., being general manager of the Western interests of the company, besides being interested in numerous other Western enterprises. His business has neces sitated his traveling a great deal, and it is doubtful if there is a town from San Francisco to Boston where the fame of Captain "Steve" is unknown. He is a splendid type of the wide-awake, progres sive business man of to-day, and his friends are ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 205 legion throughout the United States. He ranks high in Masonic and social circles, and is a member of Olive Branch Lodge No. 38, A. F. and A. M.; St. Bernard Commandery, K. T., Chicago; Oriental Consistory, S. P. R. S., Chicago; Medinah Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, Chicago; Damascus Lodge, No. 84, K. P., Danville, 111.; a member of the Chapter and Council of the A. F. and A. M. of Danville, 111.; charter member of Columbia Post No. 706, G. A. R., Chicago; and has been a mem ber of the Grand Lodge of Illinois Odd Fellows for ten years. He is also a member of the Iroquois and Chicago Athletic Clubs of Chicago. Captain Thompson is a warm personal friend of Colonel Moulton, and during the regiment's ser vice in the great strikes of 1894 he voluntarily appeared upon the scene and insisted upon attach ing himself to Colonel Moulton's staff. Although there was no vacancy in the staff at the time, he remained, serving without pay or rank, and ren dered valuable aid to the regiment in various ways. His devotion and zeal were not long unrecognized and May, 1895, Colonel Moulton made him an official member of his staff by appointing him Cap tain and Inspector of Rifle Practice, which rank he held up to the time the regiment was mustered into the volunteer service. At this time it was discov ered that the Army Regulations did not provide for an inspector of rifle practice, and the mustering officers refused to muster Captain Thompson as such. This decision did not disconcert the re- 206 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT DOCTOR FRANK DnWlTT TALMAGE. doubtable "Steve" a bit, for he immediately announced his intention of going with the regiment as a private soldier. This was not necessary, how ever, for Colonel Moulton solved the difficulty by appointing him Adjutant of the Third Battalion, and as such he was mustered into the United States service, May 16, 1898. Upon the regiment's arrival at Jacksonville, Florida, Colonel Moulton appointed him Ordnance Officer and Commissary of Subsistence of the regiment. During the com mand's tour of duty in Havana, Cuba, Captain Thompson was detailed as Inspector of Police of ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 207 the city of Havana, and was a prominent factor in the establishment of the first police force organized in that city under American rule. Captain Thompson is a bachelor of bohemian proclivities, and is at his best when surrounded by a select coterie of genial spirits, and his ready wit, brilliant repartee, and his ability as a reconteur is everywhere recognized to the extent that his very presence in a gathering is a sufficient guaranty that the affair will not lack any of the humorous essen tials so necessary in a function of this kind. Cap tain Thompson returns to civil life with the well wishes and respect of both officers and enlisted men of the regiment. DR. TALMAGE. \ Rev. Frank DeWitt Talmage was born Novem ber 29, 1867, in Philadelphia, where his father then resided. His early education was received at the Polytechnic Institute, of Brooklyn, and the Sing Sing Military Academy. In 1886 he entered New York University, and at graduation received the honor of being selected orator of his class. Wish ing to study for the ministry, Mr. Talmage entered the Union Theological Seminary. Years ago he went to Pittsburg, as pastor of the Second Pres byterian Church. While a student, Mr. Tal mage delivered a series of lectures on the "Best Place to Live In," and the "Uses of Laughter," earning for himself the reputation of an elo quent, logical and entertaining speaker. His ser- 20S HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT mons are sincerely scriptural, full of good gospel, helpful and uplifting to all who hear them. Mr. Talmage's style is pleasing; he speaks extem poraneously, drawing illustrations from his own experience and observation, as well as from history and anecdote. His acquaintance with literature is extensive; his culture gives him a grasp of the essential points and phases of the questions touched upon, and he displays a nice appreciation of senti ment and pathos, frequently causing his audiences to weep. His personality is peculiarly interesting and magnetic. His lectures have extended through many states and cities, and no matter where he goes he is greeted with large audiences. Dr. Talmage succeeded Dr. Bolton as Chaplain of the Second Illinois National Guard in October, 1897, and joined the volunteer service in May, 1898; went with the regiment to Jacksonville, Flor ida, and on the loth of June tendered his resigna tion and returned to his pastorate, Jefferson Park Presbyterian Church, Chicago, much to the delight of his people. LIEUTENANT FRANK. W. MECHENER. Ordinarily "ye adjutant" of a regiment is about the biggest man in the regiment, the commanding officer excepted, of course. The Second Illinois is an exception to the rule in this instance, for the Adjutant, or rather, the Acting Adjutant, the sub ject of this sketch, who has acted as Adjutant six of the twelve months of the regiment's year of ser- ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 209 vice, is considered the smallest officer in the regi ment; that is, in stature. Everything else consid ered, Lieutenant Mechener is a towering giant, if men's stature were measured by their deeds and capacity for good hard work. Lieutenant Mech- CAPT. F. W. MECHENER. ener was Adjutant of the Second Battalion, and when the regimental Adjutant resigned in the early part of December, 1898, he was detailed to tempo rarily fill the position, which, as everyone knows, is one of the most important offices in the adminis tration of a regiment. Although a young man, Lieutenant Mechener discharged the trying duties HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT of the office with credit to himself and satisfaction to his commanding officer. His conduct of the affairs of the office was rewarded by Colonel Moul- ton recommending his appointment as Regimental Adjutant, and April 10, 1899, he received his com mission as such, and was mustered in the same day. Lieutenant Mechener was born in Sterling, Iowa, July 16, 1872, and was educated in the Sabulajowa, public high school, and later, in 1893, was grad uated from the Northwestern University School of Pharmacy. He is a practical chemist by occupa tion and is unmarried. He enlisted originally in Co. F, One Hundred and Sixtieth Indiana National Guard, May 13, 1891, and was honorably dis charged May 12, 1894. July 24, 1895, he reen- Hsted in Company E of the Second, and December 8th of the same year was appointed Sergeant. January 27, 1896, he was elected Second Lieuten ant, and on January 3Oth of the following year was promoted to the First Lieutenancy. October 20, 1897, he was appointed Battalion Adjutant, and as such was mustered into the United States service May 1 6, 1898. Lieutenant Mechener is a horseman of no mean ability, and during the regiment's stay in Cuba he made numerous excursions into the interior of the island on horseback, accompanied usually by Major Purinton, who is another lover of the horse. Lieutenant Mechener returns to civil life with the well wishes of the officers and non-commis sioned of the command and no one can deny him credit for duty well and faithfully done. ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 21 FIRST LIEUTENANT AND ASSISTANT SURGEON JOHN G. BYRNE. Dr. Byrne was born in the City of the Lakes on January 22, 1871, and was educated at Dennison University, Granville, Ohio, and at Lake Forrest University. He married Miss Annie S. Hewitt. A physician by profession, his entry into the Illinois National Guard was, however, not in the medical department, but in the ranks. After passing through the various grades, he became a hospital steward in 1896, being commissioned First Lieu- ASSISTANT SURGEON J. G. BYRNE, 212 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT tenant and Assistant Surgeon in the following- year. At the commencement of the war he was mustered into the United States service in the same rank. In July, 1898, he was placed in charge of the ambu lance company of the Second Division, Seventh Army Corps, devoting his sole attention to their instruction for two months, with the result of rais ing them to a high degree of efficiency. Much to Dr. Byrne's regret personal circumstances com pelled his resignation on September 26th. MILITARY RECORD. Enlisted Company C March 2, 1887; transferred to Company E; discharged March i, 1890. Reen- listed March 2, 1890. Corporal Company E May 1 7th; Sergeant Company E December 15, 1890, later First Sergeant. Discharged March i, 1893. Hospital Steward 1896. He was commissioned Assistant Surgeon, Illinois National Guard, De cember 22, 1897. Commissioned First Lieutenant Second Illinois Volunteers May 16, 1898. Was detailed and put in charge of Ambulance Company July i, 1898, where he continued until he resigned, September 28, 1898. FIRST LIEUTENANT AND ASSISTANT SURGEON RALPH STRIBLING PORTER. Dr. Porter is a native of Fairfield, Iowa, where he was born on November 22, 1875. He was edu cated at the Chicago high schools, Rush Medical College, Lake Forrest University, South-Eastern Kansas Academy, and Chicago Medical College, ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 213 ASSISTANT SURGEON; R. s. PORTER. Northwestern University. Dr. Porter is a young man, and being recently from the best schools of modern medical science is abreast of the most up-to- date discoveries and ideas. Commissioned into the Second Illinois Volunteer Infantry on July 2d, at the retirement of Dr. Byrne, it was not long before the value of his skill and devotion to his duties made themselves apparent, and when the illness of Major Marquis threw the whole weight of responsi bility upon the shoulders of Dr. Porter he proved fully equal to the task — no light one, as this was at the time when the regiment was suffering so much from the typhoid epidemic. Dr. Porter's exertions 214 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT on behalf of the sick eventually laid him up with the same disease that he had been combating in others, and for some time he was seriously ill, but to the great joy of the regiment he eventually re covered and resumed the position he was so well fitted to fill. Dr. Porter was universally popular with officers and men alike. Gentlemanly in demeanor and appearance, he was the beau-ideal of a military medical officer. FIRST LIEUTENANT AND ASSISTANT SURGEON THOMAS WILBUR BATH. Dr. Bath was born at Tyr Phyl, in Wales, on March 18, 1863. He came to this country at an early age, receiving his education at the High School, Cuba, Illinois; at Adrian College, Michi gan, and at the St. Louis College of Physicians and Surgeons. He married Miss Lulu Hurdle, and has three sons, Hubert Dexter, Clarence Kellogg, and Thomas Wilbur. Dr. Bath has attained a considerable eminence in his profession. He practiced formerly at Ohio, Bureau County, Illinois, and latterly at Normal, Illinois. A general practitioner, his experience has been of the kind to fit him more peculiarly for the varied duties of an army surgeon than the pursuit of any special branch of medical study would have done. He was secretary of the McLain County Medical Society, and a prominent official in other kindred associations. He acted for a considerable ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 2I5 period as special Medical Correspondent for the St. Louis "Clinic," his contributions bearing the stamp of a careful and thoughtful observer, and containing matter of no small service to modern medical science. ASSISTANT SURGEON T. M. BATH. Dr. Bath first entered the United States service on September 7, 1898, as acting assistant surgeon, and was assigned to duty with the First North Carolina, and later with the Ninth Illinois, from both of which he earned golden opinions. Trans ferred to the Second Illinois at a period when over work and climate had temporarily prostrated Drs. 2l6 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT Marquis and Porter, he had charge at the trying time of moving from Jacksonville to Savannah, when his care and attention to the sick, and good management of the details of their transportation gave universal satisfaction. Strongly recommended by Colonel Moulton, on January 24, 1899, Dr. Bath was commissioned by Governor Tanner to the assistant surgeoncy, then vacant, the duties of which he is admirably quali fied to perform. CHAPLAIN HORACE W. BOLTON. The Rev. Dr. Bolton was born at Orrington, Maine, in 1839. He served in the Union Army from 1862 to 1865, and, after being mustered out, studied for the ministry. Before coming to Chi cago in 1885, he had held several important posi tions in the East, among them that of the Oak Street Church at Lewiston, Me., Trinity Church, Charlestown, and First M. E. Church, Bangor, Me., and Boston, Mass. In Chicago he was for five years pastor of the First M. E. Church, for five years of Centenary Church, and from October, 1895, to Jan uary, 1897, pastor of the South Park Avenue Church. Upon the resignation of Rev. Frank De Witt Talmage, he was offered and accepted the position of Chaplain of the Second Illinois Volunteer In fantry, which he held until the final muster out of the regiment. Dr. Bolton was well known to the regiment, having previously occupied the same office in the Second Regiment, I. N. G. ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 217 H. W. BOLTON. He is well known in army and Masonic circles, and is past commander of U. S. Grant Post No. 28, Department of Illinois, G. A. R. He belongs in all to sixty different societies, civil and military. He is the author of several books, among them "Home and Social Life," "Fallen Heroes," "Rem iniscences of the War," and "America's Next War," and is the compiler of the present volume. He was married in 1858 to Miss Mary J. Pierce, of Orrington, Me., and the following children have been born to them: Nancy I., in 1860; Adelaide M., in 1863; Horace L., in 1868; and Abner Town- 2l8 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT send and Charles Freeman, twins, born in 1873. The two first named only are now surviving. Mrs. Bolton was with her husband during the campaign at Savannah and in Cuba. MILITARY RECORD. Dr. Bolton enlisted in Company E, Sixteenth Maine Volunteer Infantry, 1862; was in the battle of Antietam, where he was badly injured, and dis charged. In 1863 he reenlisted in October, and was transferred (the Maine quota being full) to Company D, First District of Columbia Cavalry, and made First Sergeant; was in all the campaign of '64; was again hurt in the taking of the fort at Petersburg, by having a horse thrown upon him, but stayed with the company until there were but five men and no officers left for duty, and only seventy-six out of the 1,200 in the regiment. In the winter of 1865 was consolidated \vith the First Maine Cavalry, and assigned as First Sergeant of Company F; was commissioned Second Lieutenant, but was not mustered because of the consolidation; discharged July 12, 1865; reenlisted in the Na tional Guards in 1894, as Chaplain of the Second Illinois Regiment; resigned October, 1897; re- enlisted and was mustered into United States serv ice as Chaplain of the Second Illinois Volunteer Infantry, June 14, 1898; elected Chaplain of the Seventh Army Corps Association, March 19, 1898; mustered out of United States service with the regiment. MAJ. JAMES EDWARDS STUART. 219 CHAPTER XVI FIELD OFFICERS MAJOR JAMES EDWARDS STUART Forfar, Scotland, near Thrums, in the same par ish made famous by J. M. Barrie, the celebrated novelist, in his popular work, 'The Little Minis ter," is the town that gave to the Second Illinois its popular and efficient Major of the First Battalion. This notable event occurred July 8, 1842, and at this early date, doting parents and admiring rela tives of the then youthful Major unanimously de clared that the "bonnie lad" was born to command. That their prediction was a true one, subsequent events have proven beyond a doubt. "Bonnie Jimmie" grew to a lusty boyhood on his native heath, and dutifully attended the village school until 1851, when, with his parents, he came to the United States, where the family settled down in Oshkosh, Wis. "Jimmie" attended the public schools, later graduating from the high school at that place with an education that permitted him to go out and engage in the battle of life with a strong show of success. His martial spirit manifested itself when the first call for volunteers came in 1861, when he enlisted in a home regiment for three months. August 4, 1862, he reenlisted in Company B, Twenty-first 220 ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 221 Wisconsin Volunteers, and was shortly afterward promoted Sergeant. February 4, 1863, he was commissioned Second Lieutenant, and December 23d of the same year was promoted First Lieuten ant. August 3 ist of the following year, he was promoted to* the Captaincy of the company and remained as such up to the close of the war, June 8, 1865, when he was mustered out of the service with his regiment. During his term of service he participated in the battle of Perryville, Ky., Octo ber 8, 1862, and was promoted Second Lieutenant for meritorious conduct. At the battle of Stone River, in December, 1862, and January, 1863, he was mentioned in general orders by Major-General Rosecrans. Later he participated in the march of the Fourteenth Corps from Murfreesboro, Tenn., to Chattanooga, the battles of Hoovers Gap, Dug Gap, and the famous fight at Chickamauga, September 19 and 20, 1863. He was also engaged in the battles of Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain, and was with his command on the march from Chattanooga to Atlanta, engaging in the battles of Rocky Faced Ridge, Resaca, Pump kin Vine Creek, Kenesaw Mountain, Peach Tree Creek, and the subsequent siege of Atlanta, includ ing the battle of Jonesborough. After the fall of Atlanta he was detailed on the Staff of General Harrison C. Hobert, commanding the First Brigade, First Division, Fourteenth Army Corps, and accompanied the command on the famous march from "Atlanta to the sea/' 222 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT He later took part in the battle of Bentonville, N. C., and commanded the advance guard of Sher man's army in entering the city of Raleigh, N. C., and personally received the surrender of that city. After the surrender of Johnson's army to Sherman, he marched with his command from Raleigh to Washington via Richmond, and participated in the grand review of Sherman's army at the capital, after which he returned to his camp and was mus tered out. When the war ended Capt. Stuart returned to his home, and in 1866 was appointed a railway postal clerk, and continued as such until 1872, when he was appointed a post-office inspector. During his travels as a railway postal clerk he met Miss Marie Roberts, a daughter of Peter Roberts, one of the first settlers of Iowa City, Iowa, and, after a brief siege, which admitted of "no quarter," the young lady surrendered, and Captain James proudly bore her away to his Wisconsin home. His duties as a postal clerk and his native shrewdness stood him in good stead in his position of post-office inspector, and soon the name of "Cap" Stuart stood high in department circles, and was a constant warning of the retribution sure to follow the luckless individual who dared to violate the postal laws of Uncle Sam. Shortly after President Hayes' election in 1876, Captain Stuart was honored by being appointed chief post-office inspector for the Western District, comprising the States of Indiana, Michigan, Wis- ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 223 consin, Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota, and an evi dence of the manner in which he has conducted the affairs of this most important office, is the fact that at the present writing he is still in the same posi tion, having served successively during the admin istrations of Presidents Hayes, Garfield, Arthur, Cleveland (two terms), Harrison, and McKinley. Notwithstanding the fact that his position en tailed an endless amount of detail work and travel, his military ardor would not down, and May, 1885, he was chosen Captain of Company C, Second In fantry, I. N. G. In 1888 and again in 1891, he was reflected Captain of the company, and June, 1891, he was unanimously elected Major. June, 1894, and 1897, he was again the unanimous choice of the regiment, and the mustering in of the Second Infantry, I. N. G., into the United States service, May 1 6, 1898, found the doughty Major still at the head of his command, which he accompanied to Jacksonville, Fla. He was with his battalion but two weeks, when he was ordered to Tampa, Fla., where he was engaged in important secret service work for the Government, reporting personally to General Miles. He was engaged in this work from June 1 3th to July 3ist, or until the fall and sur render of Santiago made it unnecessary to continue the service at this point. He returned to his regi ment at Jacksonville, and was there scarcely two weeks when he was summoned to Washington and sent to Porto Rico to establish the postal system of the island, and this work kept him engaged until 224 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT November, during- which time he personally vis ited every town on the island, establishing post- offices in each town. When this work was com pleted he returned toi Chicago, where, in conse quence of his long absence, the affairs of his office made his presence necessary, and it was not until April 3, 1899, that he was enabled to rejoin his regiment at Augusta, Ga,, where it proceeded after its tour of duty in Havana, to await muster out. "Major Jim," as he is affectionately called by the entire regiment, is an ideal type of the American soldier, and his democratic simplicities as regards attire, his gruff and hearty manner of greeting one, his intense enthusiasm in drills and exercises, his utter disregard for pomp, ceremony or form, and his general geniality and good-fellowship, have endeared him to every member of the regiment, and it is no exaggeration to state that every individual soldier of the regiment is a warm admirer of the gallant Major, and he in turn is a staunch friend and protector to every enlisted man in the regi ment, and should another call "to arms" come in the future, Major Stuart will be found in the front rank of the first volunteers to offer their services to their country. MAJOR WILLIAM P. DUSENBERRY. Major Dusenberry is a native of Rochelle, Illi nois, and was educated at St. Joseph, Michigan. He married, on the I4th of October, 1896, Miss Agnes McKeary. He has been engaged in the ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 2'2$ leaf tobacco business, and has been connected with the National Guard of Illinois for the past twenty years, during which period he has participated in every description of service the regiment has been called upon to perform. Upon the calling into the United States service of the Second I. N. G., the Major was mustered in as commanding the Second Battalion, and con tinued in that command, with the exception of a short period of absence on leave, until the muster out of the regiment. Close attention to business has always marked Major Dusenberry's career. The call of duty never failed to elicit a prompt response, and his attention to the wants, and consideration for the feelings of the soldiers under his command, have combined to render him one of the most respected and esteemed officers in the Seventh Army Corps, while the fact of his having served in every rank, from private upward, has given him a most intimate and familiar acquaintance with the needs and duties of every man under his command. The engineering aptitude of Major Dusenberry caused his invariable selection for the duty of lay ing out the camping grounds at the various places at which the regiment was stationed, and in every case the task was so efficiently performed that the neat lines of the Second Illinois became a by-word in the Seventh Army Corps. A high distinction was conferred upon the Major by his assignment, with the battalion under his 226 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT MAJOR |W. P. DUSENBERRY. command, to raise the United States flag over the town of Cienfuegos at the Spanish evacuation, an event fully described in the tenth chapter. Major Dusenberry is still a young- man, having been born on June 22, 1857, and has a long period of public usefulness yet before him. Mrs. Dusen berry was present with the regiment in Savannah and Cuba. Besides this the Major was detailed at different times for different services; served as Sec ond Lieutenant commanding Company E in Union Stock Yards riot, and had command of the Second Battalion during the riot from July 5 to August 4, 1896. ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 227 MILITARY RECORD. Second Illinois N. G., private, July 3, 1879; Cor poral, December i, 1881; Sergeant, June 4, 1883; First Sergeant, October 27, 1884; Second Lieuten ant, February 22, 1886; First Lieutenant, April 2, 1888; Captain, February 10, 1890; reflected Feb ruary 9, 1.893 J Major, August 26, 1893 ; Second Illi nois Volunteer Infantry since May 16, I MAJOR HOLMAN GREENE PURINTON. Major Purinton was born at Bowdoin, Maine, on the 22d of April, 1847. He was educated at Litchfield Academy, and the Edward Little Insti- MAJOR H. G. PURINTON. 228 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT tute, Auburn, Maine, and at Bates College, Lewis- ton, Maine, leaving the latter institution in 1865 to proceed direct to the front, when he served with credit through the rest of the War of the Rebellion as a volunteer in the ranks of Company B, Twenty- ninth Maine. He is now a widower, having been married many years ago to Miss Menetta A. Given, of Lewiston, Maine, whose death in the early days of the Spanish War cast a deep gloom over her husband and their only son, Bertram S. Purinton, a Lieutenant in the Second Illinois. Major Purinton conducted a thriving business as a merchant tailor in Chicago, making a serious sacrifice upon the altar of duty when he accom panied his regiment on active service. History repeats itself, and the boy of eighteen who in 1865, at his country's call, denied himself the unspeaka ble advantages of further study, again left his home and business without a murmur to give his services, and his life, if need be, to the same noble cause. Major Purinton is a well-known and dis tinguished member of the "Saint Bernard Drill Association," and enjoyed the reputation in the Seventh Army Corps of being one of the most ac complished tacticians in the corps. His military associations, so< early commenced, were resumed when he first accepted a commission in the Sixth Battalion Illinois N. G., speedily followed by a Cap taincy in the same battalion. He was then trans ferred from the First Illinois National Guard, and ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 229 became Captain and Adjutant of the Second Illinois National Guard, and soon succeeded to a Majority. During the war Major Purinton commanded the Third Battalion of the regiment. In June he was detailed on special duty to proceed from Jackson ville to Chicago to obtain recruits to> raise the regi ment to its increased establishment. In a very short space of time he returned to Jacksonville, having obtained the needed number of men, his excellent judgment being shown in the high quality of the recruits obtained. During the days of wait ing at Jacksonville, the Major's knowledge of tac tics and capacity for imparting instruction bore rapid fruit in the manifest improvement of his com mand. Like an old campaigner, the Major always be lieved in making himself as comfortable as circum stances would admit of, and his tent was well- known as at all times the best-appointed in camp, and its owner's geniality and soldierly bonhomie caused it to be a favorite resort of his comrade officers, at whose disposal the Major's fund of knowledge and sound advice was always freely placed. Major Purinton's battalion was an independent command for a brief period, when the regiment was changing stations from Savannah to Cuba, and the comfort enjoyed by his men on board the "Mobile" formed an agreeable contrast to the miseries ex perienced by their comrades of the First and Sec- 23° HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT ond Battalions on the "Michigan." Discipline on board was excellent. His battalion numbered 360; i6ist Indiana, 1,300; the Fourth Virginia, 100; Signal Corps, 100. Division and Brigade Head quarters were all on board the "Mobile." Major Purinton was selected and put in charge of the po lice, sanitary and fatigue corps during the trip. The order and cleanliness of the ship was a matter of favorable comment on the part of the officers. He was also chosen with his battalion to take part in the ceremony of decorating the graves of the victims of the "Maine" disaster, an account of which will be found elsewhere. Major Purinton always set an excellent example in personal appearance. Of light, active, soldierly figure, his spick and span turn-out and alert bear ing, rendered him a noticeable feature of every parade. A passionate lover of field sports, the Major ap pears to defy fatigue in his favorite pursuit, and many a younger man might envy him the endur ance and elasticity of constitution which in him seems perennial. MILITARY RECORD. Company B, Twenty-ninth Maine Volunteer In fantry, fourteen months; First Lieutenant and Adjutant Sixth Battalion, Illinois N. G., two months; Captain Company A, Sixth Battalion, Illi nois N. G., two years; Captain Company I, First Regiment Illinois N. G., four and one-half years; ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 23I Captain and Adjutant Second Regiment Illinois N. G., one year; Major Second Regiment Illinois N. G., three years four months; Major Second Reg iment Illinois Volunteer Infantry, since April 26, 1898. FIRST LIEUTENANT J. P. SCHEY1NG. LIEUTENANT JOHN P. SCHEYING. Lieutenant Scheying was born in Ottawa, 111., December 5, 1863, and was educated in the schools of that city. His early years were spent on the banks of the classic Rock River, and in 1889 he moved to Iowa and engaged in the cigar and to- 232 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT bacco industry. A few years later he removed to Chicago, where he engaged in the same business with his brother. His military ardor first mani fested itself when he enlisted in Company D of the old Fourth Infantry, I. N. G., at Ottawa, October 17, 1882. April 29, 1884, he was appointed Cor poral, and promoted Sergeant February 5, 1886. May 12, 1889, he was discharged on account of his removal to Iowa, Shortly after his arrival in Chi cago he enlisted in Company A, of the Second In fantry, I. N. G., and April 20, 1898, was made Sergeant-Major of the First Battalion. June 15, 1898, during the regiment's stay at Jacksonville, Fla., his capable conduct of the office of Sergeant- Major was rewarded by his appointment and com mission as First Lieutenant and Adjutant of the First Battalion, which position he filled during the regiment's year of service. During the stay of the regiment in Havana he was detailed as acting in spector of police, and contributed, in no small mea sure, to the success of the organization of Havana's first police force established under American rule. Lieutenant Scheying is married, and the proud father of three children. Captains Thompson and Mechener were mus tered as Battalion Adjutants; but Captain Thomp son was soon selected for a position on the regi mental staff. See page 203. After the resignation of Captain Sherwin, Mechener acted as Adjutant until April 20, 1899, at which time he was com missioned for that position. See page 209. ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 233 SERGEANT ROSENTHAL. Lieutenants Titus, of Company E, and Unfried, of Company L, acted as Battalion Adjutants for the Second and Third Battalions. Sergeants Rosenthal, of Company C, McCar thy, of Company F, Crowell, of Company M, and others were detailed as Battalion Adjutants. CHAPTER XVII. NON-COMMISSIONED STAFF. Sergeant-Major Peter Osmar, who had been so many years connected with the Second Illinois, left us at Savannah, honorably discharged by order of PETER OSMAR. 234 ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 235 QUARTERMASTER SERGEANT H. R. SAUNDERS. the Secretary of War. His long and useful services had been of immense value to the regiment, and his departure was a matter of regret to everyone. The vacancy caused by his discharge was filled by the promotion of Sergeant Joseph R. Krueser, of Com pany F, who proved a worthy successor. He proved himself equal to all demands, and made himself exceedingly popular with all coming in con tact with him in the discharge of the varied duties of that position. He was expected to answer all questions and settle all disputes in military law and its application to new and unusual conditions. But 236 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT best of all, Sergeant Krueser never got impatient, or lost control of himself. We hope he may live long and well, and die happy and hopeful. Regimental Quartermaster J. McFarland was a hard worker while able to do duty. But for months HOSPITAL STEWARDS. E. J. BARCAL. WILLIAM ADAMS. C. E. DANIELS. he was on the sick list, and in December, 1898, he was discharged from the service. Sergeant Howard R. Saunders was appointed as his successor, and proved himself just the man for the place, always alert, never in haste, but always on time. Positive, 237 238 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT BAND MESS. but kind, decisive, but open to suggestion, he will prove a valuable partner in almost any business. Commissary-Sergeant Armstrong occupied the most difficult place in the regiment, he having as sisted the worthy and efficient Commissary in fur nishing rations and ordnance to the regiment. Neglect or disturb a man's stomach, and you are sure to hear from him, and sometimes not in the most elegant language. Sergeant Armstrong always had the right word for every man. No regi ment was ever better fed, or had more pleasant sur prises than the Second. Captain Thompson and ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 239 Sergeant Armstrong were always anticipating the wants of the men, and securing hot coffee and sand wiches for them \vhen on a move. The Sergeant has but one real out, he is still marriageable. MUSICIANS. THE BAND. Much credit for the excellent record made by the regiment must be accorded the famous band of the command. It was in constant demand in every place visited by the regiment, and was the acknowl edged peer of any band in the service. During its entire year of service, it ever stood ready to gratify the slightest wish of its host of admirers, and besides its numerous outside engagements, averaged five regimental concerts per w^eek. Every call to aid worthy charities was responded to by its members. In the several towns wherein the regiment en camped, the mention of a concert to be given by the Second Illinois Band was a signal for the out pouring of an immense crowd of delighted listeners. General Lee was one of its warm friends and admirers, and upon every occasion where the ser vices of a band were needed to represent the Seventh Corps, Colonel Moulton was politely asked by the General to< let him have "my band" for this occasion. January I, 1899, it was selected to play during the evacuation ceremonies at the Governor- General's palace in Havana; and as General Castel- lanos and his staff left the palace the band played the Spanish Royal March, whereupon the General 240 ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 24I and his aids doffed their caps, and when they reached the open air outside the palace, Old Glory was flung to the winds on the topmost mast of the palace, while the joyous strains of the "Star Spangled Banner," as played by "my band," floated ••EL- JACK ON ST. PATRICK'S DAY. through the marble corridors of the palace, and was listened to with rapt attention and uncovered heads, and gave word to the world that the curtain had been rung down on Spain's rule in the New World. The band was further honored by being selected to play at the Tacon Theater, at the reception ten dered to General Gomez upon his arrival in Hav- 242 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT BUGLER JESSE DANIELS. ana; and also at the same theater later for the benefit of the Cuban Orphan Asylum. It was also selected to play at the Colon Cemetery, Havana, February 15, 1899, the first anniversary exercises of the de struction of the Maine, held over the graves of the victims buried there. This band was organized in 1885, and its first leader was A. D. Harlow. He was succeeded later by A. F. Wei don, and in 1893 Ellis Brooks suc ceeded him. Mr. E. T. Smith took charge in ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 243 Springfield, 111., and May 16, 1898, its members were mustered into the United States service. It consisted of twenty-six men, with E. T. Smith, Chief Musician, and Charles Fuller, Principal Musician. Too much praise cannot he given Messrs. Smith and Fuller for their efficient and splendid work; and it is safe to assert that every man in the regi ment appreciates this fact. Both of these men have been with the band since its organization in 1885. The men have enjoyed excellent health during the year of service, and all lived to return. A history of the band would be incomplete without an acknowledgment being made of the excellent work accomplished by Sergeant George Ihling with the Trumpet Corps, and Joseph B. Byrnes, in structor of the Drum Corps. CHAPTER XVIII. COMPANY A. CAPTAIN PAUL B. LINO. Captain Lino, who is one of the oldest members of the Illinois National Guard, is an officer at home alike in the cavalry or infantry branches of the service. Enlisting on March 27, 1881, in the First Cavalry I. N. G., he has occupied many positions in the service, filling all with credit to himself and profit to the regiment. At the outbreak of the war, Captain Lino, then serv ing as Captain of Troop A, First Cavalry I. N. G., was mustered into the United States service in that position. "Mustered-out" with his regiment, October nth, he was again commissioned as Captain of Company A, Second 111. Vol. Inf. The Captain had previously com manded Company L from 1887 to 1890, and was as well known as liked by the members who remembered him at that time. Jolly and genial, with a pleasant word and a cheery smile for everyone, no more popular officer could be found in the Seventh Army Corps ; but so well does Captain Lino know how to combine firmness with kind ness that the discipline of his company has been excelled by none. MILITARY RECORD. Private, Troop D, First Cavalry I. N. G., March 27, 1 88 1 ; reenlisted March 27, 1886; Commissary Ser- 244 CAPT. PAUL B. LINO. 245 246 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT geant, May, 1886; First Lieutenant, Troop D, July i, 1886; transferred with Troop D as Company L, Sec ond Infantry I. N. G., March 14, 1887; Captain, Com pany L, June 20, 1887; Recruiting Officer, Troop A, First Cavalry I. N. G., elected Captain and transferred from Company L to Troop A, June 6, 1891 ; mustered into Volunteer service as Captain, Troop A, First 111. Vol. Cav., May 19, 1898; mustered out, October n, 1898; commissioned Captain, Company A, Second 111. Vol. Inf., November 22, i; FIRST LIEUTENANT CHESLEY REYNOLDS PERRY. Lieutenant Perry was born in Chicago, September 12, 1871, and educated at Chicago High School. Joining the Second Regiment I. N. G. in 1895, he was pro moted to a Second Lieutenancy in Company B in the following year. He was mustered into the U. S. ser vice with that company at the outbreak of the war, and has been selected for various special duties, having been detailed as Acting Commissary of Subsistence and Ordnance Officer, First Brigade, Second Division, Seventh Army Corps; as Acting Assistant Quarter master, Acting Commissary of Subsistence, and Ord nance Officer, Medical Department, Seventh Army Corps ; as Regimental Exchange Officer, and as Acting Adjutant of the First Battalion, his efficient services in those various capacities being fully recognized by his military services. Lieutenant Perry is an athlete of no mean order, and prominent in the promotion of athletics among his men. 247 248 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT MILITARY RECORD. Private, Company B, Second Inf. I. N- G., June 22, 1895; elected Second Lieutenant, February 10, 1896; mustered into U. S. service, May 16, 1898; commis sioned First Lieutenant, Company A, Second 111. Vol. Inf., November 24, 1898; detailed as A. C. S. and A. O. O., First Brigade, Second Division, Seventh Army Corps, June, 1898; detailed as A. A. Q. M., A. C. S. and A. O. O. Medical Department, Seventh Army Corps, July-October, 1898. FIRST LIEUTENANT LEON K. MAGRATH. Lieutenant Magrath was born in Providence, R. I., September 27, 1865, and married Miss Rose L. Hardy, by whom he has two children. He is in civil life a stone-cutter by trade, and was seven years in the Illi nois National Guard, working his way from Private to Sergeant. The muster-in to the volunteer service found him in the latter rank. The long-continued sick ness of the First Sergeant threw the work of that posi tion upon Sergeant Magrath, who performed it admir ably; and when, on November 3Oth, a vacancy in the rank of Second Lieutenant offered the opportunity of a suitable reward for faithful and efficient services cheerfully performed, Sergeant Magrath received his well-deserved promotion, which was hailed with delight by his gratified comrades, with whom he was very popular, and whose respect he possessed in a high degree. MILITARY RECORD. Enlisted in Company A, Second Regiment, I. N. G., 1891; Corporal, May, 1893; Sergeant, April, 1895; mustered into U. S. service, Sergeant, April 26, 1898; Second Lieutenant, November 30, 1898. *; *^b^ . •• ^7^—4^ 249 25° HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT COMPANY HISTORY. Company A long- enjoyed the distinction of being- one of the best drilled companies in the Second Infantry Illinois National Guard. It is also one of the oldest companies in the command, having been raised at the first formation of the regiment, and entering the Illi nois National Guard service under the command of Captain Vanzwoll, who was succeeded in command by Captain Delafontaine, who in turn was followed by Captain Bogg, after whom came Captain Samuels. The company was prompt in answering every call for duty from the day of its entrance into the National Guard down to the day of its discharge from the U. S. Army. It saw service at Braidwood, 111., the Stock Yards, and the A. R. U. strikes of 1894; and has always proved worthy the confidence of its battalion and regi mental commanders, a source of pride to its members and to the organization of which they form a part. Company A was mustered into the service of the U. S. for the Spanish War with a full quota of officers and men, its officers being, Ossian C. Van Zandt, Captain ; John Bauder, First Lieutenant, and Frank U. Adams, Second Lieutenant. Although there has possibly been more promotions in Company A than in any other com pany of the regiment, the company is proud of the fact that there has not been a single reduction. The com pany left Chicago with the Second Regiment on April 26, 1898, and was afterward identified with it in all its successes, all its sufferings, and all the various vicissi tudes through which the command passed. Reaching Springfield, the company was assigned quarters in the gallery of the Dome building, and 251 252 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT settled down to a period of drill and anxious expecta tion of orders from Washington. With 1,400 young, strong, healthy and mischievous men confined within four walls of a building, it would be impossible to conceive of the time dragging very slowly, but day after day some prank was played, which CAPT. O. S. VAN ZANT. kept the boys in a continual state of merriment and laughter. There were the usual reviews and parades, insepar able from any military camp, and, of course, drill was never by any chance omitted, so that hard as were the sleeping accommodations, the boys were generally ready to occupy them at taps, and, once there, slept as ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 253 LIEUT. JOHN BAUDER. soundly and as refreshingly as in beds of down. In deed, the boys seemed to take a great degree of pride in roughing it, as they knew it was fitting them for the severe experiences which afterward came to them in the field. So, with great good humor, they endured the hard beds, the harder tack, the almost continual rain, and the sticky mud. At the physical examination of the men, but a small proportion failed to pass, and they mustered in eighty-four big, stalwart men. The company suffered, with the balance of the regi ment, the discomforts of the long, hot, dreary months of waiting at Jacksonville, but was so fortunate as to lose none of its members by death during the epidemic 254 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT at Jacksonville; but for some time so prevalent was the sickness from typhoid fever that out of a strength of eighty-four men, the company frequently fell in for parade with but two sets of fours, and there was no decided change for the better until after the removal of the camp to the Rifle Range. On November 9, 1898, Captain Van Zandt resigned his commission, returning to private life in Chicago. Soon after Lieutenant Bauder also resigned. Lieuten ant Adams next tendered his resignation, thus leaving the company without a commissioned officer. This was soon remedied by the appointment of Paul Lino as Captain, his commission taking date November 23d. Second Lieutenant Chesley R. Perry, of Company B, was promoted and transferred to Company A as First Lieutenant, and Sergeant Leon K. Magrath was pro- LIEUT. F. W. ADAMS. ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 255 moted to be Second Lieutenant, thus once more giving the company a set of efficient officers, who at once won the respect and obedience of the men by a wise adminis tration O'f company affairs, and a masterly knowledge of the duties pertaining to their positions. Captain Lino brought to the duties of his office a large experience gained by several years of military service, the effects of his administration becoming immediately apparent in the improved discipline of the company and the abundance and quality of the mess. Company A served twenty- four days in charge of the rifle range at Jacksonville, a responsible and important duty, which they performed in a manner reflecting great credit upon them. The company proceeded to Cuba on the "Michigan/' with the First and Second Battalions of the regiment, and as soon as order was established in Camp Columbia, began once more the routine duties of camp life, its further history being that common to the remainder of the regiment. ROSTER OF COMPANY A. Mustered into service May 16, 1898, at Springfield, Illinois. OFFICERS. OSSIAN C. VAN ZANDT, Captain. — Mustered into service May 16, 1898; resigned Nov. 9, 1898. PAUL B. LINO, Captain. — Mustered into service Nov. 22, 1898. JOHN BAUDER, First Lieutenant. — Mustered into service May 16, 1898. Resigned Nov. 14, 1898. CHESLEY R. PERRY, First Lieutenant. — Mustered as Second Lieutenant Company B, promoted 1898 and transferred to Company A. FRANK U. ADAMS, Second Lieutenant. — Mustered into service May 16, 1898. Resigned Nov. 23, 1898. 256 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT LEON K. MAGRATH, Second Lieutenant. — Mustered as First Sergeant May 16, 1898; promoted 1898. WM. CLEFF, First Sergeant. JOHN PRZYBILSKI, Q. M. Sergeant. GEO. H. WAGNER, Sergeant. WM. J. MARTELL, Sergeant. BENJAMIN NATHAN, Sergeant. — Discharged Feb. 10, 1899. ARTHUR L. HART, Sergeant. WILLARD C. PATRICK, Corporal GEORGE E. ESHER, Corporal. — Promoted Sergeant Feb. 16, 1899. Ross C. WHEAT, Corporal. JAMES STRATTON, Corporal. CHAS. J. SYKES, Corporal. WM. V. KENNEDY, Corporal. VICTOR A. BENSON, Corporal. ADAM G. ABRAHAMSON, Corporal. JOSEPH L. SAXE, Corporal. RICHARD SALM, Corporal. JOHN M. WALTER, Corporal. CHAS F. SANDERS, Corporal. JULIUS C. R. DUNKE, Corporal. — Discharged Dec. 30, 1898. ANTON ZANDER, Corporal. — Promoted Feb. i, 1899. JAMES W. ABELL, Musician. THOMAS H. CAHILL, Musician. WM. HOLLERBACH, Artificer. CHAS. F. MUSSON, Wagoner. PRIVATES. AXELSON, GUSTAV. BRAULT, AUGUST. ARMSTRONG, ALBERT E. BURKHURT, CHAS. E. Appointed Corporal Feb. 6, CURRY, DANIEL J. 1899. CAMERON, WILLIAM. AHLGRIN, HERMAN. Transferred to U. S. Hos- ARNOLD, JOSEPH D. pital Corps Oct. 18, 1898. ALLCOTT, WILLIAM F. COHEN, ABRAHAM. Discharged Oct. 14, 1898. DAHL, HARRY S. BERNSTEIN, Louis. DAVIS, FRED N. BEINER, FRED. Discharged March 25, 1899. BIRD, GEORGE W. DEAN, CHARLES D. BOWERS, JAMES J. DAY, FRANK G. 257 258 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT DRAB, FRANK A. ESTEP, ARCHIE L. ELLIOTT, WIRT S. ECKHOLM, AUGUST. Discharged Sept. 19, 1898. FARA, ALBERT. FARR, EUGENE W. FROLING, VICTOR H. GILHUS, ADOLPH. Transferred to U. S. Hos pital Corps June 15, 1898. GRANGER, WALTER. Transferred to U. S. Hos pital Corps June 10, 1898. HAMILTON, JAMES J. HANSEN, HAROLD. HORNE, FRANK E. HARRISON, WM. H. HILL, WALTER S. Discharged Nov. 28, 1898. HANSEN, CHARLES E. JASON, Louis. JOHNSON, JOHN M. JOHNSON JOHN E. JANKOWSKI, FRANK. JONES, FRED M. Discharged Aug. 10, 1898. KRIEG, OTTO. KOLLENBERG, HENRY E. KOBOW, GUSTAVE. Appointed Corporal Feb. 16, 1899. KARNICK, PETER. KEEFE, MARTIN. LEVANDUSKI, FRANK. LEDDY, EUGENE. MURRAN, ANDREW. MAYER, EDGAR D. MONKA, JOHN. Transferred to U. S. Hos pital Corps Oct. 19, 1898. MAI, GEORGE H. MORKBEE, LUTHER C. McCuLLGUGH, CHARLES. McQuAiD, EUGENE. NELSON, WM. G. Discharged Nov. 20, 1898. OLSON, AUGUST. OLSON, CARL W. O'CONNOR, FRED H. O'BRIEN, HARRY. O'HARA, EDWARD. ORIOL, JULIUS. PHILLIP, JOHN C. Transferred to U. S. Hos pital Corps June 13, 1898. PASHKE, JOHN J. Transferred to U. S. Hos pital Corps June 13, 1898. PATZEN, HENRY. ROEHRIG, ADAM P. RAFFERTY, HERBERT. RODNEY, ALFRED J. Discharged Oct. 31, 1898. RYAN, BENJAMIN D. RENITZ, BENJAMIN. Discharged Nov. 4, 1898. SLOIER, CHRISTIAN. STEWART, GEO. W. SlLVERMANN, ALEX. SPENSLEY, WALTER F. SMITH, FRANK. SAVAGE, JAMES D. STRATTON, JOHN H. TOOMEY, JOHN A. TROEGER, ARTHUR. Voss, WILLIAM J. WAGNER, GEORGE T. WENDT, OSCAR F. WITT, AUGUST F. WAGNER. EDWARD. CHAPTER XIX. COMPANY B. CAPTAIN CHARLES PARKER WRIGHT. Captain Wright was born in Chicago June 27, 1867, and received his education in the Chicago public and high schools. He is an undertaker by profession, is married, and has possibly had as varied a military career as any officer in the regiment. He enlisted in Company H, Second Infy. I. N. G. early in 1885. August 16, of the same year, he was appointed Corporal, and March I, 1887, was promoted Sergeant. May 3, 1887, he was elected Second Lieutenant, and was promoted to the First Lieutenancy February 21, 1888. January 21, 1890, he was elected Captain, and August 14 of the same year was promoted Major. He resigned his com mission March 21, 1893, for business reasons, but his military ardor would not down, and, June 27, 1895, he reenlisted in Company D. April 7, 1896, he was elected First Lieutenant of the Company, and, July u of the same year, was appointed Adjutant of the First Bat talion, which rank he held at the time the regiment was mustered into the Volunteer service. May 19, 1898, Captain Frank Waska, commanding Company B, was forced to resign on account of ill-health, and Lieutenant Wright received his commission as Captain of the com pany June 15, 1898. Captain Wright is recognized as a capable and pains taking officer, and enjoys an enviable reputation as a 259 260 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT drill-master. He is of a quiet but forceful disposition, and enjoyed the full confidence and respect of his com pany and brother officers. He was personally compli mented by the Provost Marshal of the Seventh Army Corps for the masterly manner in which he controlled, with his company, the Cerro district of Havana during the disorders in that territory in December, 1898, dur ing its evacuation by the Spanish. The company under his charge was ever a model of soldierly deportment and efficiency, and Captain Wright will return to civil life with the consciousness of having performed his full duty to his country and regiment. LIEUTENANT THOMAS J. McCONOLOGUE. Lieutenant McConologue was born on a farm in Ogle County, Illinois, May 9, 1862. In 1868 he moved, with his parents, to Cerro Cordo County, Iowa, where he attended the public schools. In 1882 he removed to Mason City, Iowa, where he taught school for two years. In 1889 he entered the University of Notre Dame, Ind., and took up the study of law, graduating from that institution in 1891, with the degree of LL.B. In the fall of 1891 he removed to Chicago, and was engaged in the practice of his profession up to the beginning of the Spanish-American war. His military career dates from 1884, when he enlisted in Company A, Fourth Infy. Iowa N. G., in which company he served until 1891, reaching the rank of First Duty Sergeant. In June, 1892, he enlisted in Company B, Second Infy. I. N. G., and was appointed Corporal in June, 1893. April, 1894, he was pro moted Sergeant, and the following June was made First Sergeant, serving as such throughout the great railroad 26 1 262 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT strikes of that year. In April, 1895, he was elected First Lieutenant of Company I, Seventh Infy. I. N. G. September 28, 1896, he was elected First Lieutenant of Company B, Second Infy. I. N. G., which position he held when mustered into the United States service. Lieutenant McConologue's legal attainments were soon discovered after the regiments arrived in Jackson ville, and no general court-martial convened thereafter was considered complete without the Lieutenant as Judge-Advocate. Indeed, his fame as a legal light spread, and when he was not acting as Judge- Advocate, he was good-naturedly defending some luckless soldier who had transgressed the articles of war; and it is a matter of record that his clients were invariably acquitted. The "Judge," as he is familiarly termed, is extremely popular throughout the regiment ; and it is rumored that the close of the war will find him a deserter from the ranks of bachelordom. LIEUTENANT JOSEPH D. BENES. Lieutenant Benes was born in Chicago, July 4, 1869, and received his education in the public schools of Chi cago. His military career covers a period of eight years' continuous service in Company B, during which time he filled the successive grades of Private, Corporal, Sergeant, and First Sergeant, which latter rank he held at the time the regiment was mustered into the United States service. When Second Lieutenant Perry was promoted to the First Lieutenancy of Company A, First Sergeant Benes, was promoted to fill the vacancy, and he received his commission as Second Lieutenant January 5, 1899. During his incumbency as First Ser geant of the company, he was recognized throughout 263 24 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT the regiment as being- one of the most capable non commissioned officers in the regiment ; and his promo tion was regarded as well earned and well bestowed. He is popular among both officers and men, and though of a retiring disposition, he has frequently appeared at the regimental entertainments, where he convulsed all with his humorous recitations and inimi table imitations. Shortly after his installation as Sec ond Lieutenant, he was detailed as regimental exchange officer; and his conduct of its affairs was a subject of commendation. "Joe", as he is familiarly called, is a single man, and in civil life is a contracting mason by occupation. COMPANY HISTORY. Company B is the second oldest company in the regi ment, and has always enjoyed an enviable reputation for drill and discipline, and, during its life as a company of the Illinois National Guard, probably more commis sioned officers were graduated from its ranks than any company in the regiment. Prominent among some of its ex-officers may be mentioned Captain Frank Lasher, jr.; Captain John Ingraham, who died while in com mand of the company; Captain Geo. Meehan, after ward a Major in the Seventh Infantry I. N. G. ; Cap tain Thomas I. Mair, now commanding Company C, Second 111. Vol. Infy. ; Captain Frank Waska, who was mustered into the United States service as its Captain, but compelled to resign, May 19, 1898, on account of ill-health; Second Lieutenant Chesley R. Perry, now First Lieutenant of Company A, Second 111. Vol. Infy., and Captain William D. Hotchkiss, now Lieutenant- Colonel of the Second 111. Vol. Infy. ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 265 Upon Captain Waska's resignation, Lieutenant Charles P. Wright, Adjutant of the First Battalion, was commissioned as Captain of the company, and the only other change in the commissioned officers of the company that occurred in its year of service was the appointment of First Sergeant Joseph D. Benes to fill NOiN-COMS. COMPANY B. the vacancy caused by Second Lieutenant Perry's pro motion to the First Lieutenancy of Company A. The company shared the hard work and disappoint ments of the balance of the regiment during its summer camps in the south, and lost two members during the epidemic of typhoid fever at Jacksonville, Fla. Private Wm. H. Umstead was the first to succumb. He died 266 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT at the Second Division Hospital September 9, 1898, and the following day Corporal George Keagle died of the same disease at the same place. The bodies of both men were sent to relatives in Chicago, the company escorting the remains to the depot. Both men were model soldiers, and popular among the boys, and their untimely end produced profound sorrow among their comrades in the company. The subsequent history of the company at Jackson ville and Savannah is the history of every other com pany in the regiment. The company embarked for Cuba on the cattle-ship "Michigan," along with the other companies of the First and Second Battalions. December i9th, a few days after the company's arrival in Havana, it was ordered to report to Provost Marshal Harrison for duty. In one hour after the receipt of the order the company reported at Provost Headquarters, and was assigned to duty in the town of Cerro, a suburb of Havana. The town had been evacuated by the Spanish troops that day, and the Cubans were celebrating the event in a wildly hilarious manner. Toward night matters began to look serious, as there were frequent clashes between the natives and their old-time oppressors, and along toward evening it was rumored that a body of Spanish troops was bent upon returning that night and wreaking vengeance upon the Cubans who had subjected them to numerous indignities during the evacuation of the same day. The absence of the Spanish troops gave the Cubans courage ; and the luckless civilian Spaniards who remained were set upon and beaten by mobs of enthusiastic natives, who thronged the streets waving Cuban and American flags, and, with shrill cries of "Viva Americano," "Viva Cuba," threatened dire death ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 267 CAMP BOLTON. to the Spanish. Numerous small riots and cases of assault and general disorder prevailed throughout the evening, and when Company B arrived, about 7 o'clock p. rn., matters were beginning to look ominous. Already the houses of several known Spanish sympa thizers were wrecked, and the town was crowded by an enthusiastic, "cognac" crazed, armed mob, who awaited the threatened invasion by the Spanish troops. Captain Wright immediately grasped the situation, and divided his men into squads, and they patrolled the entire district, about two miles in extent, and by their tact, coolness and judgment, put down numerous incipi ent riots, and at i o'clock a. m. Captain Wright ordered 268 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT Lieutenant McConologue and a detail of men to close every saloon in the town, which was done. There was no sleep for Company B that night, and their wagon train was left standing in the streets all night under guard. The next morning the company established their camp near the reservoir, and named it Camp Bol- ton, in honor of the regimental Chaplain. A guard was posted the next night at the Chavey bridge to cover the approach to town, and was fired upon during the night by unknown parties. The guard returned the fire, and a lively fusilade ensued, but no damage was done, and the miscreants escaped arrest by disappearing in the darkness. After a few occurrences of a like nature, the lawless element discovered that the Chicago boys were not to be trifled with, and accorded them the respect due them, and Captain Wright was compli mented by the Provost-Marshal for the admirable be havior of the company and their successful efforts in establishing law and order in the town. During these scrimmages a score of Cubans and Spaniards were shot or killed, and a teamster of the Second Illinois received a Mauser bullet in his shoulder while driving through the district. December 31, 1898, the Provost Marshal asked for a detail of one Corporal and ten men to report to him the following morning, to act as a guard of honor during the raising of the American flags over Morro Castle and Cabannas fortress. Corporal Schreffler and ten picked men were selected by Captain Wright. The Corporal has the proud distinction of being selected to haul down the Spanish flag over Cabannas fortress and raise ''Old Glory." He was also the person to whom the keys of the prison were turned over when the final transfer was made, and then with a detail of sol- ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 269 diers he escorted the last detachment of Spanish troops from the fort to the wharf, where lighters awaited them, to take them out to the transports that were to take them back to Spain. The detail was in charge of Cabannas for three days, until relieved by regular soldiers, and returned to the company loaded down with souvenirs and was the envy of the unfortunates who were not on the detail. The company remained on duty at Cerro until Janu ary 7, 1899, when they were relieved by Troop F, Second U. S. Artillery. The company thus lias the distinction of being the first company of United States troops to perform permanent provost duty in Havana. The company also enjoyed the reputation of being one of the best drilled companies in the regiment, and a number of men were drawn from its ranks to perform various duties of a special nature. Private Win. Morris was chosen as permanent Orderly for the com manding officer, and fulfilled the delicate duties of the position up to the time he was taken ill with typhoid fever at Havana, in March, 1899. At the time of the regiment's departure for the "States" his condition was so serious that it was decided to leave him at the First Division Hospital until he was strong enough to under take the journey home. Private Charles J. Smith, of the company, was detailed at Jacksonville, Fla., as Assistant Postmaster of the regiment, and, January 10, 1899, Chaplain Bolton placed him in full charge of the regimental mail service. Private Edward Poulsen was detailed as Summary-court Clerk, and Privates Max Epstein and William Bogle were detailed as clerks at Second Division Headquarters. Sergeant Henry Kern was, up to the time of his discharge for physical dis ability, in January, 1899, Acting Color-Sergeant of 270 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT the regiment, and Sergeant Theodore David was detailed for a time as Sergeant-Major of the Third Battalion. Others who contributed to the success of the com pany are First Sergeant Joseph E. Leekley, who suc ceeded Lieutenant Benes as "top Sergeant" ; Quarter master Sergeant Wm. O'Brien; Sergeant Geo. Gard ner ; Corporal Henry Dahlman, Company Clerk ; Artificer Edward Hiltman ; Corporal Wm. Cooney, and that very indispensable gentleman, the company cook, ably and efficiently represented in the person of Cor poral Irving T. Smith. To give full credit for duty well and faithfully done would necessitate the mention of every individual member of the company. Suffice it to say, Captain Wright was fortunate in commanding a company that for loyalty, obedience, and the proper esprit du corps, had no superior in the regiment. Of the maximum 106 men on the company roster July i, 1898, the company lost two by death, eight by discharges for various causes, and three by transfers to other companies. At the time of the muster-out of the regiment, the company was, numerically, the largest in the regiment. ROSTER OF COMPANY B. Mustered into service May, 16, 1898, at Springfield, Illinois. OFFICERS. FRANK E. WASKA, Captain. — Mustered into service May 16, 1898; resigned May 19, 1898. CHARLES PARKER WRIGHT, Captain. — Mustered into service as First Lieutenant and Adjutant of Battalion May 16, 1898; promoted and appointed Captain of Company B June I, 1898. THOMAS J. McCoNOLOGUE, First Lieutenant. — Mustered May 16, 1898. ^ *u* 271 272 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT JOSEPH D. BENES, Second Lieutenant. — Mustered into service as First Sergeant May 16, 1898; promoted and mustered Second Lieutenant Jan. 5, 1899. JOSEPH E. LEEKLY, First Sergeant. — Mustered Sergeant May 16, 1898; promoted Jan. 5, 1899. EDWARD J. O'BRIEN, formerly of Company D; promoted March i, 1899. GEORGE H. GARDNER, Sergeant. — Mustered May 16, 1898. HENRY KERN, Sergeant.— Mustered May 16, 1898; discharged Feb. 9, 1899. THEODORE DAVID, Sergeant. — Mustered May 16, 1898. WILLIAM WALKER, Sergeant. — Mustered May 16, 1898. JOSEPH COONEY, Sergeant. — Mustered Corporal May 16, 1898 ; promoted Jan. 5, 1899. JOHN E. SCHMITT, Corporal.— Mustered May 16. 1898. MATHEW V. BLAHA, Corporal. — Mustered May 16, 1898. FRANK HORA, Corporal. — Mustered May 16, 1898. JOHN SCHREFFLER, Corporal. — Mustered May 16, 1898. EDWARD HOENCK, Corporal.— Mustered May 16, 1898.— Pro moted Aug. 4, 1898. WILLIAM H. HAHN, Corporal.— Mustered May 16, 1898.— Dis charged Oc^. 31, 1898. EDWARD H. WAIT, Corporal— Mustered May 16, 1898.— Pro moted Aug. 4, 1898. WILLIAM SCHMELZER, Corporal.— Mustered May 16, 1898.— Promoted Aug. 4, 1898. G. H. KEAGLE, Corporal. — Mustered May 16, 1898. — Died at Jacksonville, Fla., Sept. 10, 1898. HENRY W. DAHLMAN, Corporal.— Mustered May 16, 1898.— Promoted Aug. 4, 1898. JOSEPH KOHOUT, Corporal. — Mustered May 16, 1898. — Pro moted Jan. i, 1899. EDWARD PATERA, Corporal.— Mustered May 16, 1898.— Pro moted Jan. i, 1899. EDWARD PEGGENSSEE, Corporal. — Mustered May 16, 1898. — Pro moted Jan 5, 1899. ALEXANDER BELL, Corporal. — Promoted March i, 1899. EDWARD HILTMAN, Artificer. — Mustered May 16, 1898. WILLIAM SWANSON, Musician. WILLIAM BOGLE, Promoted to work of Wagoner Sept. i, 1898 — Mustered May 16, 1898.— Transferred to Co. H March 8, 1899- ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 273 BELL, ALEXANDER. BELANGER, JOHN J. BASS, MEYER. BIGGER, THOMAS. BALL, JOHN H. BOCK, FRANK. BRAN STEAD, EDW. BECKMAN, Jos. CROSS, JOHN. CARLSON WM. S. DOCKSTEADER, H. A. DUEE, HAKON, B. Discharged Nov. 29, ELLEFSON, OLLIE L. ELLEFSON, THOMAS. ELMS, ALFRED J. ELZER, CHARLES. EPSTEIN, MAX J. EDWARDS, CURTIS O. Discharged Nov. 29, ENGLETHALER, WM. R. FOBES, PETER. FREEMAN, ADOLPH. FINGER, MAX A. GIBBS, HARRY. GIERZ, ARTHUR C. GILDAY, THOMAS. Discharged June 25, GLERIE, FRANK. Discharged Sept. 3, HARRIGAN, J. F. Transferred to U. S Corps Dec. 5, 1898, HANSWIRTH, JOSEPH. Discharged Jan. 16, HAHN, RICHARD. HICKS, GEORGE E. PRIVATES. HOLUB, JOSEPH. HANSEN, CHARLES E. JAKUBKA, JOHN F. JONES, ROBERT W. Discharged Jan. 26, 1899. KIRBY, JOHNSON. KNAPSTEIN, CHARLES. KINSLEY, WILLIAM. LINKEN, HENRY N. LHOTKA, EDWARD. LAKE, THOMAS G. Discharged Oct. 31, 1898. 1898. LARSON, HARRY F. MEYERS, SAMUEL. MEYERS, WILLIAM J. Discharged Nov. 29, 1898. MORGAN, PETER H. ODELL, WILLIAM. O 'BRIAN, WTILLIAM J. 1898. OLSON, OSCAR A. POLAKOFF, VICTOR. PAULY, CHARLES. PETERSEN, NEILS P. POULSEN, EDWARD J. PALDA,CHARLES L. PEGLOW, BARNEY. REYNOLDS, EDWARD. 1898. ROTH, JOSEPH. RAPP, EDWARD. 1898. SAVAGEAU, EUGENE. SCHULZ, CONRAD. . Signal SHUTTS, JOHN. SMITH, GEORGE A. SMITH, IRVING T. 1899. SMITH, CHARLES J. SPLAIN, SYDNEY A. SHERMAN, HARRY. 274 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT SCHANCK, FRED. UMSTAT, WILLIAM H. STUERHOFF, CHARLES J. Died Jacksonvill ;, Fla., 1898. SUCHY, JOHN. VINER, FRANK. Discharged Jan. 16, 1899. ULEKLINSKI, JOHN A. SIXTA, CHARLES. Transferred from Company SAXTON, ALBERT. C. March 8, 1899. SCHMITT, AUGUST B. WALDRON, FRANK. TORGENSON, THEODORE. YANDA, JOHN. TEFECK, MILES. ZAFICEK, JAMES. CHAPTER XX. COMPANY C. CAPTAIN THOMAS I. MAIR. Captain Mair is a native of the land of the thistle and "Bobby Burns," and was born April 27, 1860, in Ayr shire, Scotland. He received his early education in Scotland, and came to America while yet a young man, and settled down in Chicago, where he finished his edu- CAPT. THOS. I. MAIR. 275 276 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT cation, and embarked in the legal profession. Captain Mair is an old stand-by of the Second Regiment, enlist ing as a private, in Company B in 1887. Since then he has served successively as Corporal, Sergeant, First Sergeant, Second Lieutenant, and First Lieutenant of that company. Upon the disbandment of Company C, in 1894, he re-organized the company, and, March 5, 1894, the new company was mustered into the service of the State with Captain Mair as its commander. March 5, 1897, he was reflected Captain of the com pany, and was mustered into the service of the United States as such, May 16, 1898. Captain Mair and his company were honored shortly after the arrival of the regiment in Jacksonville by the company being detailed as Brigade Guard, under Brigadier-General A. S. Burt. During the regiment's stay in Cuba his company was also selected to perform provost guard duty in the town of Marianao, where a portion of Gomez's army was stationed. Captain Mair, as commanding officer of the company, performed his duties at this place with great tact and discretion, and won the commendation of the corps Provost Marshal. The Captain is an amiable gentleman and a con scientious officer, and gained the respect of his men and brother officers by his earnestness and the soldierly qualities, which made him generally popular through out the regiment. He is a married man, and will resume his legal practice after a year's duty, ably and efficiently performed, for his adopted flag and country. LIEUTENANT EDWARD J. SHARP. Lieutenant Sharp is a native of Chatham, Ont., and was born July 4, 1871. His military career dates from March i, 1894, when he enlisted as a private in Com- ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 277 pany C, Second Infy. I. N. G., and served throughout the great railroad strikes of that year. He was later promoted Corporal and Sergeant, and, January 14, 1898, was elected Second Lieutenant of the company, and as such was mustered into the United States service May 1 6, 1898. September 19, 1898, during the regi ment's stay in Jacksonville, Fla., he was detailed as Quartermaster of the First Division Hospital oj the Seventh Corps, and continued in that position up to the time the regiment was mustered out of the service. November 23, 1898, he was promoted First Lieutenant, vice Paulsen, deceased. Lieutenant Sharp has ever been recognized as an able and conscientious officer, and in June, 1898, was selected as one of the three officers chosen to proceed to Chicago and enlist the 300 recruits necessary to bring the quotas of the companies up to the required maxi mum of 1 06 men. Lieutenant Sharp is a single man, and in civil life is a real estate salesman. LIEUTENANT GEORGE W. BRISTOL. Lieutenant Bristol was born in Fremont, Ohio, April 5, 1865, and at an early age removed to Aurora, 111., where he received his early education in the schools of that city. Subsequently he removed to Chicago, where his education was completed, and he entered business life as a book-keeper, and was for a number of years connected with the Nonotuck Silk Co., of that city. August 21, 1882, he entered upon his military career by enlisting as a private in Company G, First Infy. I. N. G. December 19, 1884, he was appointed Corporal, and, March 17, 1885, was promoted First Sergeant of 278 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT LIEUT. GEORGE W. BRISTOL. the company, a position he filled for over four years. During his incumbency as First Sergeant he was famed for his adherence to rules and regulations governing the forces of the United States, and some of the more facetious of the company ; who had occasion to "run against" the First Sergeant's disciplinary methods, dubbed him the "Private's Friend," and the appellation stuck to him throughout his connection with the "First." October 29, 1889, he was elected First Lieutenant of the company, and, February 12, 1891, was chosen Cap tain, to succeed the present Colonel of the regiment, Colonel Jas. B. Sanborn. February 12, 1894, he was reflected Captain of the company, and, January 8, 1896, 279 280 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT resigned and removed to New York. During his con nection with the "First" he was identified with the busi ness conduct of "The Guardsman," and was always a prominent factor in National Guard circles. The beginning of the Spanish- American war found him a citizen of New York City ; and when the call to arms came, he enlisted as a private, May 24, 1898, in Company F, Twenty-second New York Vol. Infy., and continued as such, acting as Company Clerk, until the regiment was mustered out of the service, November 23, 1898. The regiment was an old-established one, with an honorable record, and was unfortunate enough not to see active service ; and his brief career with the regiment but served to accentuate his military ardor, and, November 28, 1898, found him with a commission as Second Lieutenant of Company C, Second 111. Vol. Infy., in his pocket, speeding on his way to Havana, Cuba, to join his command, with whom he served until the muster-out of the regiment, April 26, 1899. COMPANY HISTORY. Company C is one of the oldest companies in the regi ment, and has always enjoyed an enviable reputation for excellence in drill, and performed valiant service to the State during the great railroad strikes of 1894, and also at Lemont, 111., the year previous. During its existence as a National Guard company, it was at various times commanded by Captains Coy, Hardenbrook, and Mair, and for a number of years by Major James E. Stuart. During the Lemont strikes, the company was commanded by First Lieutenant Charles C. Ames, and early in 1894 the company was disbanded and re-organized by Captain Thomas I. Mair, 28l 252 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT who was mustered in as its commander March 5, 1894, since which time he has remained at its head. April 26, 1898, the company reported at Springfield, 111., and in the subsequent physical examination, previ ous to its muster into the United States service, out of 101 examined, but one man was rejected. After the regiment's arrival at Jacksonville, Fla., the company was honored, on June 8, 1898, by being detailed as Brigade Guard of the First Brigade, Second Division, Seventh Corps, under General A. S. Burt. Just -about this time Captain Mair was stricken with typhoid fever ; and for nine weeks the company was in charge of First Lieutenant Andrew E. Paulsen, who himself was sub sequently stricken with the same malady, and died in October. The company's many accomplishments were recog nized by General Burt, who became attached to the company, and it was not until October 29, 1898, that he would consent to having the company relieved, as is the custom in such cases. September 19, 1898, the company was further honored by the appointment of Second Lieutenant E. J. Sharp as Acting Quartermaster of the First Division Hospital, which position he filled up to the time of the regiment's muster-out. After Lieutenant Paulsen's death and the detailing of Lieu tenant Sharp on detached duty, the company was in sole command of Captain Mair, and, November 23d, Lieu tenant Sharp was promoted First Lieutenant, and Geo. W. Bristol, ex-Captain of Company G, First Infy. I. N. G., was commissioned Second Lieutenant of the com pany, and joined his command early in January, 1898. Shortly after the regiment's arrival in Havana, Cuba, the company was again honored by being detailed on 283 284 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT provost duty in the towns of Ouemados and Marianao, and was still engaged in such duty when the regiment was ordered home. Companies C and L were the advance guard on the homeward trip, and arrived in Augusta, Ga., April I, 1899, two days ahead of the balance of the command. During its year of service, of the maximum of 106 men, the company gained two men by transfer, and lost eleven by discharge, seven by transfer, and one officer and two men by death. Private Ernest Sinclair, who had been acting as Chief Clerk at Second Division Headquarters, was the first of the company to die. He was stricken with typhoid fever, and after a short illness died August 3Oth. His remains were sent to his relatives at Chica, Mich. The next to succumb was Private August Lembke, who died of typhoid fever September 3, 1898, at the Second Division Hospital. His remains were sent to his relatives at Oak Park, 111., for interment. Both men were popular among their comrades, and their untimely end cast a deep gloom over the company. About this time, First Lieu tenant Andrew E. Paulsen was stricken down with the dread typhoid, and when the regiment left Jacksonville for Savannah, Ga., he was left behind. October 3H g 5 * °- £ O w CJ K 307 3°S HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT Captain Nussbaumer is the second youngest Captain in the regiment, and at Jacksonville, Fla., on August 15, 1898, he was presented with an elegant sword and belt by the members of the company. LIEUTENANT JOHN EDWARD VANNATTA. Lieutenant Vannatta is also a Chicagoan by birth, and was born August n, 1872. He is a graduate of the Chicago College of Law, and was just entering upon a promising career at the bar, when he relinquished all and responded to his country's call. He enlisted as a private in Company G, Second Infy. I. N. G., Septem ber, 1893, and October 22, 1894, was appointed Cor poral. February 22, 1895, he was promoted to Ser geant, and was honorably discharged May, 1896. November 18, 1896, he reenlisted in Company E, and, in January, 1897, was appointed Sergeant. When the company was mustered into the United States service, May 16, 1898, Sergeant Vanatta was mustered in as First Lieutenant of the company, and retained that rank during the regiment's year of active service. LIEUTENANT EDWARD H. TITUS. Lieutenant Titus is a native of Ohio, and was born in Jackson county, that State, February 18, 1874. By occupation he is a salesman, and previous to being mus tered into the United States service, had charge of the woolen department of Marshall Field and Co's retail store in Chicago. Lieutenant Titus' military career dates from September 24, 1893, when he enlisted as a private in Company G, Second Infy. I. N. G. January 5, 1895, he was promoted Corporal, and served through the labor riots of 1894, and was honorably discharged 309 310 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT upon expiration oi his term of service, September 23, 1896. October 2, 1896, he reenlisted in Company E, and later was promoted Corporal. November 20, 1897, he was elected Second Lieutenant of the company, and was mustered into the United States service as such May 1 6, 1898. Lieutenant Titus is married and has one child, a girl. Mrs. Titus and the child were visi tors to the camp in Havana. Lieutenant Titus, during the last six months of the regiment's service, acted as Adjutant of the Third Battalion, and performed the duties of that office with extreme credit to himself. He is popular with the mem bers of his company, who, while regretting his absence from the company, were gratified to see his ability recognized. COMPANY HISTORY. Company E is one of the charter companies of the Second Regiment, coming from the old Sixth Battalion. At the time of its entrance into the State service it was officered by Robert C. Vierling, Captain ; Frank Lasher, First Lieutenant, and Wm. So-ams, Second Lieutenant. At different periods of its service as a National Guard Company it was commanded by such men as Edward Baker, Clarence Fuller, Percy Palmer, Leroy T. Stew ard, and Wm. P. Dusenberry, now Major of the Second Battalion, a sufficient guarantee of the standard of excellence in drill and discipline maintained by the com pany. The company saw service with the regiment in all the troubles arising during the period of its existence, including the Stock Yards riots and the great American Railway Union strike, in 1894. At the call of Gover nor Tanner, in 1898, for. troops for service in the war with Spain, Company E went to Springfield with the ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 31 I same enthusiasm and earnest loyalty which has always characterized it. Of the 109 soldiers — three commissioned officers, and 106 'enlisted men — who composed this company when it had reached its maximum strength on June 25, 1898, not one was dropped from the roll by death or desertion, or with a discharge which he could not point to in future years with satisfaction and pride. Many, too many, left the ranks they had entered in, in the flush and vigor of their manhood, stricken down by the blighting fevers of Southern camps, and many reluctantly severed their connection with the regiment under orders from the War Department, brought about usually by the solici tude of over-anxious friends. It is rare that in a com pany of men tenting together in many camps, and often under conditions calculated to ruffle the best of tempers, no animosities are aroused and no ill-feelings exist. Such an assertion can be confidently made in the case of Company E. Not an instance is on record of ill-treat ment or insult from one member of the company to another during the whole course of its service. The kindliest and most fraternal feelings always prevailed, and a spirit of good-fellowship and interdependence existed that was productive of the best result. A few words about the personal characteristics of some of the members may not be out of place here. First Sergeant James H. Vannatta was a capable non commissioned officer, calm and discriminating, and free from any suspicion of partiality or unfairness. At the beginning of the war he was connected in a clerical capacity with the Chicago Police force. One of the most important factors in the well-being of a military organization is the "mess." Napoleon 3I2 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT has said, "An army moves upon its stomach." He attributed much of his success to his careful attention to the commissariat. In skillful hands much can be done ; and Quartermaster-Sergeant John Bywater, of Com pany E, with his genial smile and captivating manners, BOXING CLUB. could almost make a hungry soldier fancy he was suf fering from gout. "Little Johnny," as the boys called him, was a genius in the way of smoothing over diffi culties and throwing oil on troubled waters. The Company Clerk, Corporal William H. Wilder, was another instance of "the right man in the right place." Accommodating and efficient, his work was always accurate and up to date, errors being unknown ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 313 in his department. The Corporal is an Englishman by birth, a veteran of the Egyptian Campaign of 1884, '85, and '86, a thorough soldier, and, while true to the new land, never forgot the old. Nicholas Groetzinger was another member of the company who was a favorite with his associates. He is a native of Chilton, Wis., and left a well-established and lucrative monumental marble business in Paxton, 111., to follow the starry flag. In July, 1898, over the signature of "Mickey Free, Company E, Second Illinois," there appeared in the Times-Union and Citizen, of Jacksonville, in the form of a clever little humorous poem addressed to General Burt, commanding the First Brigade, a plea for the discontinuance of afternoon drill on account of the excessive heat. A careful search failed to reveal such a name in the regimental roster, but closer inquiry established the guilt of Eugene J. Kennelly, of Com pany E, who, when cornered, threw up both hands and "acknowledged the corn." General Burt sent for the modest poet, and complimented him upon his witty effusion, and a few days after, to the great delight of the boys, the objectionable drills were suspended. Pri vate Kennelly served eight years in the Seventh Cavalry, and shared in the hardships and perils of that gallant corps during its career on the plains of the Northwest. He is a Bostonian, and possesses the culture and refine ment of the modern Athens, besides being a good sol dier and a genial comrade. Here is the poem : Arrah, gineral, dear, a volunteer From the distant Prairie State, Begs your attention while he does mention The troubles that on him wait. 3H HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT He knows right well, for he oft heard tell, From the black boys clad in blue, That you were ever a friend who would always lend Your ear to a tale, if true. He also knows, for history shows, That your post was the firing line, And where there was death you were ever met In the front, with Old Glory flyin'. In war or in peace, may you never cease To add to your life's bright story; And when taps have been blown and your spirit flown. May it be to the home in glory. I've somewhere read, and I oft heard said, That the braver the soldier the kinder ; That he's always on hand, and needs no command, No protest, hint, or reminder, To remove all cause, be it custom or laws, That would make the humblest suffer, Whether from drills or pills, or the thousand ills In the stock of the non-com, duffer. If this be so, then, gineral, I know That we've got but to state our case, And the saddest lad in the awkward squad Will have sunshine in his face. It's as hot as h , that you know quite well, So please bow to Heaven's high will ; And a recruit's prayer you shall ever share, When you order, "Cease afternoon drill." Ralph S. Tankersley, a fine violinist, and a member of one of Chicago's best orchestras, was an unaffectedly good fellow, and always ready to keep the boys alive with the cheery strains of his faithful fiddle. In the person of Maurice O'Connor, Company E pos sessed the tallest man in the regiment, a fine specimen of manhood, with a heart as large as his person. O'Connor was discharged at Jacksonville at the request ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 315 of political friends, to the regret of both himself and his comrades. Another of the boys who endeared himself to the company by his good nature and generosity was John B. Walsh, son of Michael P. Walsh, of Milwaukee. He had for some years represented the wholesale tobacco house of Leggett and Myers, and was a most successful salesman. Taken all in all, Company E was composed of an excellent type of young men, ready and willing to do all and dare all in the cause of their country ; and it is safe to predict that none of its members will ever be guilty of any act calculated to cast discredit on the regiment all so faithfully served and so dearly loved. ROSTER OF COMPANY E. Mustered into service May 16, 1898, at Springfield, Illinois. OFFICERS. HENRY NUSSBAUMER, Captain. — Mustered into service May 16, 1898. JOHN E. VANNATTA, First Lieutenant. — Mustered into service May 1 6, 1898. EDWARD H. TITUS, Second Lieutenant. — Mustered into service May 16, 1898. — Detailed Acting Adjutant Second Battalion Nov. 3, 1898. JAMES H. VANNATTA, First Sergeant. JOHN M. BYWATER, Q. M. Sergeant. CHAS. F. ERNST, Sergeant. CHAS. L. USTED, Sergeant. OLIVER N. GOLDSMITH, Sergeant. HORACE S. CLARK, Sergeant. WM. P. WILDER, Corporal. — Promoted July 26, 1898. FRED E. TANKERSLEY, Corporal. — Promoted July 26, 1898. GEORGE F. EMERY, Corporal. JOHN R. SCHULTZ, Corporal. MAXIMILLIAN L. KIRCH MAN, Corporal. 316 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT WM. E. BRIGGS, Corporal. — Detailed Acting Color Sergeant Oct. 6, 1898.— Detailed Color Bearer Nov. 15, 1898.— Re turned to company duty Dec. 29, 1898, to go with com pany to Cienfuegos. GILRERT H. RICKETTS, Corporal. GEORGE E. DYSON, Corporal.— Discharged Nov. 16, 1898.— Pro moted July 26, 1898. CHRISTIAN L. CRAMER, Corporal. — Promoted July 26, 1898. CHARLES I. SINGER, Corporal. — Promoted Sept. 2, 1898. — Dis charged March 4, 1899. FRED SELZER, Corporal. — Promoted Sept. 27, 1898. — Discharged Jan. 7, i899. FRANK A. PADDOCK, Corporal.— Promoted Sept. 2, 1898.— Dis charged Sept. 14, 1898. BRADLEY P. DUNNING, Artificer. — Discharged Nov. 8. 1898. JESSE E. DANIELS, Musician, formerly of Company B, trans ferred Jan. 23, 1899. JOHN A. F. SPERLING, Wagoner. PRIVATES. ANDREWS, BURT S. Discharged Jan. n, 1899. ANDERSON, PETER. BARTELS, HERMAN. BARTELS, CHARLES. BRICKIE, FRED. BENNETT, HERBERT M. BEHME, OTTO H. BAUM, Louis. BENNING, EDMOND J. BERENSEN, BERNHARD. CONNELLY, JOHN. Discharged July 22, 1898. CARTIER, JOHN P. COURTNEY, MYLES E. Detailed at Corporal H. Q. Sept. 8, 1898. DOMBROWSKI, CHAS. E. DRUM MONO, JOHN S. DEWITT, FRED D. ELKINHOUS, EDWARD G. EARL, ROBERT A. Discharged Nov. 10, 1898. FIELD, WILLIAM E. FONTER, PAUL B. FOOTE, CHARLES H. FRAZINSKY, JACOB. FLORENCE, ALEXANDER. FORD, ROBERT H. GROETZINGER, NICHOLAS. HALVORSEN, GEORGE A. HOYSTADT, EDWARD. Discharged Oct. 13, 1898. HARTUNG, Louis A. HADKA, JOSEPH. HURSEY, PHILIP A. HAMMERSCHLAG, HENRY. Discharged March 3, 1899. IVORSEN, OSCAR A. JACOBS, JOSEPH. 3i8 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT JOYCE, EDWARD W. JELINEK, AUGUST F. JOHNSTON, WM. A. JENSEN, EMIL. KEFFERLY, Louis. KOCK, HERMAN. KLICKA, JOSEPH. KNUDSON, JOSEPH. KOTECK, WILLIAM. KALLENDER, JOHN A. Promoted to the work of Artificer March 10, 1899. KENNELLY, EUGENE J. LAWTON, GEORGE A. Discharged Jan. 16, 1899. LUCAS, CHARLES E. LARSON, HARRY P. Discharged July 12, 1898. LIN KEY, HARRY. Discharged July 13, 1898. LEWIS, WILLIAM K. Discharged Aug. 12, 1898. MCDONALD, EDWARD J. McDERMOTT, WM. J. McDoNOUGH, JAMES. MCGAHAN, CHAS. H. Discharged Oct. 3, 1898. MAILLAND, JESSE S. Discharged Dec. I, 1898. MURDOCK, FRED H. NEUBERGER, Louis. NOVAK, ALBERT. PARSONS, HAROLD W. Discharged Oct. n, 1898. PIERCE, CLARENCE S. RAWSON, HARRY. RYAN, WILLIAM P. ROBINSON, CLYDE M. RICHARDS, THOMAS E. Discharged Sept. 9, 1898. SHUTT, CHARLES M. SMOLA, EDWARD. Discharged Feb. 13, 1899. SCHRADER, CHARLES H. SlEVERSON, SlGUARD. SEIG, HERMAN F. E. SPERLING, FRED W. SCHMIDT, CHARLES A. SHEEHAN, JOHN J. TAYLOR, HARVEY E. TANKERSLEY, RALPH S. Discharged Oct. 18, 1898. WARMBOLD, HARRY E. Discharged Oct. 15, 1898. WILSON, CHARLES S. WALSH, JOHN B. WALLACE, MELVILLE. CHAPTER XXIII. COMPANY F. CAPTAIN JAMES HOWARD STANSFIELD. James Howard Stansfield was born near Bridgeport, Lawrence county, Illinois, October 25, 1866. At the age of six years he moved, with his parents, to Clay county, Illinois, where his early boyhood and youth were spent on the farm. During the winter months, when the duties incident to farm life did not require his attention, he availed himself of the oppor tunity to secure an education by attending the district school in the vicinity of his home. His eager thirst for knowledge soon placed him at the head of his classes, and led him to seek higher edu cational advantages. He entered the high school at Mt.Carmel, Illinois, but afterward completed his high school studies at Shelbyville, Illinois, graduating with highest honors in the class of 1890. He immediately entered the law office of Hon. H. J. Hamlin, as a student; and, during the year following his graduation studied law and taught school, but, find ing teaching not to his liking, as a profession, he gave it up, and went to Chicago, where he secured a position in the real estate office of W. P. Butler. At the same time he entered the law department of the Lake Forest University, and by working through the day, and studying at night, he was able to support himself and complete his course in law. 319 LIEUT. B. J. BURNES. CAPT. J. H. STANSFIELD. LIEUT. A. D. REHM. 320 ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 321 He was graduated from the law department of Lake Forest University and was admitted to the Illinois bar, in June, 1894. In 1897 he opened an office for himself in the Unity building, where he continued the practice of his profession, with growing success, up to the break ing out of the Spanish- American war. He was among the first to respond to the call of his country, entering the service as Captain of his company. His military career began in 1891, when he enlisted as private in Company F, Second Reg. I. N. G. He was soon promoted to Corporal, and in a short time afterward was promoted to Sergeant. In May, 1893, he was elected Second Lieutenant of his company. In this capacity he served during the great labor strikes on the Drainage Canal, in 1893, tak ing an active part in suppressing riots and protecting the property and interests of the Government and citizens. Shortly afterward he was elected First Lieutenant, and in May, 1896, was elected Captain of his company, which office he filled with credit to himself and country up to the date of mustering-out of service the Second Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry. Captain Stansfield is a man of sterling worth, and integrity, true in character, strict in military discipline, resolute in performing duty, and fearless in upholding right and justice. He is the idol of his men, and by his gentlemanly conduct and true military bearing, he has won the confidence and esteem of the officers and men of the regiment. On the 3d day of October, 1898, the men of his com pany presented him with a beautiful gold-plated sword and belt, as a token of esteem and love, and to show 332 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT their appreciation for the kindly interest and untiring efforts he made in their behalf, during- their time of service in the field. He returns to civil life with a clean military record, and the respect and best wishes of his men, and the officers and men of the regiment. BERNARD J. BURNES. Bernard J. Burnes was born in Aurora, 111., July 5, 1870. He was educated in Elizabeth school, in Chi cago, 111., and was married on January 19, 1898, to Miss E. L. Kievlan. He is by profession a shipping clerk. He enlisted in the National Guard as private in 1886, was appointed Quartermaster-Sergeant June, 1892, First Sergeant in September, 1892, Second Lieutenant in 1896, and First Lieutenant in 1898, which office he held at the time of being mustered into the service. He had a protracted sickness while in Jacksonville, and but for the best of care would never have seen Cuba. But, endowed with an indomitable will, he got out of bed and followed his regiment to Savannah, and accom panied his company to Cuba. He was put on duty soon after reaching the city of Havana, and continued with his company until they were mustered out of service in Augusta, Ga. He fully regained his health, and returns to civil life hale and hearty. LIEUTENANT ARTHUR D. REHM. Lieutenant Rehm was born on the West Side, Chi cago, January 10, 1870. He was educated in the Chi cago public and high schools and the Cook County Normal School. He served continuously in the Second *• •«* <«>..•• v 323 324 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT Infantry I. N. G. from 1886 up to the beginning of the Spanish-American war. In 1890 he had charge of the field-music of the regiment, and later was transferred to Company F, and served through the successive non commissioned grades. He was elected Second Lieu tenant in January, 1898, and was mustered into the Volunteer service as such, May 16, 1898. In civil life Lieutenant Rehm engaged in the real estate and fire insurance business with his father, who was one of the early settlers of Chicago, and who died in November, 1898. After his father's death, the Lieu tenant, being acquainted with the details of the business, returned to Chicago to straighten out his father's affairs, but rejoined his company at Augusta, Ga., in time for muster-out. Lieutenant Rehm is married, and is the father of one child, a girl. He is an able and popular officer, and much beloved by the members of his company. COMPANY HISTORY. Company F is one of the oldest companies of the Second Illinois National Guard. It has had a check ered experience, but has always been loyal to the regi ment, and ready for duty. At the call of President McKinley the company mustered into service with eighty-four men, officered by Jas. H. Stansfield, Cap tain, and Bernard J. Burnes and Arthur D. Rehm, Lieutenants, with a good and efficient staff of non-com missioned officers. During its service, Captain Stans field and his company have been called upon for special and important services, and have never been found wanting. On May 30, 1898, the company marched with the 325 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT regiment to the public park in Jacksonville, where a monument was dedicated to the Confederate dead. This was their first long" march under a Southern sun ; there they stood at attention for a long time and then returned to camp in an exhausted condition. Immediately after their arrival "mess call" was sounded and the company sat down to eat heartily of canned meat that had been shipped from Chicago to Tampa and back to Jacksonville. Before 2 o'clock the next morning every man in the company except three was very sick with cholera morbus ; vomiting and purg ing continued until morning. The majority of the com pany rallied quickly; but the seeds had been sown, which resulted in a harvest of sickness and death, and so depleted the ranks of the company that at one time more than one-third of a total of eighty-four men were sick in hospital or in quarters. This sudden and violent attack attracted the atten tion of the medical officers of the entire corps ; and after a very thorough inspection of quarters, and an examina tion of the beef, the surgeons discovered that the meat had been improperly cured. Some of the men never rallied from this attack, but sank into the deadly typhoid fever, so prevalent in and around Jacksonville at that time; others seemingly recovered, but the poison had entered the system, leaving them in a weakened condi tion, and unable to resist the attacks of disease, and one by one, sooner or later, nearly all of the company were brought low by the fever. The men were not impressed with the danger surrounding them until, on July 4th, Private Frank J. Riley died at the second division hospi tal. This was the first death in the regiment after leav ing Springfield ; and men looked at each other to realize ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 327 that they were in actual service in the army of the United States, and were getting a foretaste of what war meant. Private Riley was buried in St. Mary's Ceme tery at Jacksonville. The services were very impres sive and beautiful. The body was escorted to the grave in a casket covered by the stars and stripes, for which he had sacrificed his life. Nearly the whole strength of Company F formed the escort, including a firing squad of eight men in charge of a non-commissioned officer. A farewell salute was fired over the grave of their dead comrade, and the company returned. Next came the death of Private Henry Bramen, who sealed his devotion to his country with his life July I2th, fol lowed in quick succession by Corporal George A. Jack son, who died on July I4th. The bodies of both Bramen and Jackson were sent to their homes in Chicago. The boys of the company regarding as sacred the right to defray all the expenses of caskets, flowers, and trans portation. As a realization of the danger which sur rounded them came upon the men a sense of deep depression fell upon all ; and night after night the boys folded their blankets about them and lay down upon the ground with the full knowledge that disease permeated the hot, sandy soil upon which they laid, and that danger surrounded them on all sides. On all sides the hushed query was heard, "Who will be next?" Those who know the personel of Company F, have never doubted the physical courage of the men. In deed, the physical courage of the boys of the company has, at times, been so much in evidence that they earned the appropriate title of "Tough F." But it is one thing to spring to duty at a country's call, regardless of Span ish bullets and Spanish steel, and quite another to know 32 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT that an enemy, invisible, silent, and relentless, is about you, and to feel your own helplessness to cope with him. We witnessed the results of this terrible power in the death of comrades for a long time. On August 5th, Captain Stansfield was ordered to proceed with his company to Pablo Beach, a bathing resort, situated on the Atlantic Coast about eighteen miles from Jacksonville. Arriving at the beach, after pitching camp, Captain Stansfield's first care was to place not only the camp but also the entire village in the highest possible sanitary condition; and soon the place began to assume a different aspect than that worn before the company came. Following Company F at short intervals, came Company K of the Fourth Vir ginia Regiment, and Company F of the First Wiscon sin, and Captain Stansfield being senior captain, took command of the entire detachment and was not only the commandant of the post, but was also christened by the villagers "The first mayor of Pablo Beach." On Sun days the beach was thronged with soldiers from the main camp at Jacksonville, and as the crowds increased it became no easy matter to maintain order. But through all the trying circumstances Captain Stansfield preserved the strictest order, not one event occurring to break the peace, while the company was stationed there. The tour of duty at the beach was to be one week ; but when the company began making preparations to return to the regiment, the citizens petitioned General Lee to have the company with them for a longer period, and thus the tour of duty was twice extended, and the com pany finally left Pablo Beach to rejoin the regiment amid the regrets and commendations of the villagers. While at Pablo Beach the ocean breezes proved ex- tfr 329 33° HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT tremely beneficial to the health of the men, which was in nearly every case completely restored, the men gaining from five to fifteen pounds in weight, and were much complimented on their appearance upon their return to camp. Colonel Moulton said, when the company reported to him upon its return to camp, that he was extremely proud of the company, which had proved a credit to itself and the regiment. Company F was one of the four which went with Major Dusenberry to Cienfuegos, and was from time to time detailed for special duty. It also furnished many men for important details in the regiment, bri gade, division, and corps. On November 8th Sergeant Kienser was promoted to the rank oi regimental ser geant-major. The comrades are all proud of their com pany sergeant. They say he is an up-to-date officer, and won his way to his position by hard, conscientious work, and a uniform kindness and courtesy to all with whom he had dealings. Shortly after going to Jacksonville, Private Linder Wilkinson was detailed from the company as orderly to General Fitzhugh Lee, the corps commander, which position he filled until mustered out with the regi ment. Others detailed were Privates Bregstone and Pratt to division headquarters, Privates Golden and Komey to corp's postoffice at Havana P.O., and Private Brandt-as cook to General Lee. ROSTER OF COMPANY F. OFFICERS. JAMES H. STANSFIELD, Captain. BERNARD J. BURNES, First Lieutenant. ARTHUR D. REHM, Second Lieutenant. ALBERT J. HARKINS, First Sergeant. 33 i 332 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT PHILLIP H. GARRARD, Q. M. Sergeant. GEO. M. KIEVLAN, Sergeant. JOHN F. MCCARTHY, Sergeant. ALFRED J. BROWN, Sergeant. RICHARD T. B. EDDY, Sergeant. WM. J. GRIFFIN, Sergeant.— Discharged Oct. 22, 1898. JOSEPH R. KRUESER, Sergeant. — Promoted to Regimental Ser geant-Major, Nov. 14, 1898. WM. E. KAVANAUGH, Corporal. JOHN KELLIHER, Corporal. PETER A. NELSON, Corporal. CHRIS RAYNOR, Corporal. CHARLES J. MITCHELL, Corporal. FRANK PIANTKOWSKI, Corporal. WM. E. WICHMAN, Corporal. Louis PIANNKUCHE, Corporal. ALEXANDER L. MASON, Corporal. THOMAS J. SHANNON, Corporal. Louis R. MCDONALD, Corporal. DAVID WHITE, Corporal. ALBERT M. ELDRIDGE, Corporal.- — Discharged Dec. 22, 1898. GEO. A. JACKSON, Corporal.— Died at Jacksonville, Fla., July 15, 1898, of typhoid fever. B. K. HOWARD, Corporal. — Transferred to I3th Company, U. S. V. Signal Corps, March 2, 1899. JOSEPH O. BYRNES, Musician. ANTHONY GALLAGHER, Musician. JOHN B. KIEVLAN, Artificer. ALBERT WAGNER, Wagoner. PRIVATES. ADAMS, JAMES E. BRAMAN, HENRY F. AARON, THEODORE. Died at Jacksonville, Fla., Discharged Sept. 22, 1898. July 12, 1898, of typhoid BELL, FRANK A. fever. BELL, JOHN A. BRANDT, CHARLES. Discharged Feb. 7, 1899. BUEXTON, CHARLES. BOSTLER, HENRY. BURNETT, ELMER W. Discharged March 6, 1899. Discharged Sept. 19, 1898. ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 333 CATLIN, JOHN. COLEMAN, HENRY. CRANSTON, MORRIS. Discharged Nov. 19, 1898. DUGGAN, WILLIAM T. DURIGAN, JAMES S. Discharged Sept. i, 1898. ELTER, GUST. ENDERLE, WILLIAM J. ERIKSON, PETER. EWING, HARRY J. FITCH, EDWIN M. Discharged Jan. 17, 1899. FLAGG, FRED E. FRYMIRE, AVA C. Discharged Nov. 5, 1898. GARRARD, FRANK. GETTLE, JAMES. GOLDEN, GEORGE E. GOSTOMSKI, FRANK. Discharged Oct. 22, 1898. GRIFFIN, FRANK J. Transferred to U. S. Hos pital Corps June 14, 1898. GRIFFIN, WILLIAM J. Discharged Oct. 22, 1898. GRAFFE, GEORGE W. HOLM, FRANK. HOFMEISTER, MAX R. HANSON, ELMER B. HANSON, OSCAR. HANSEN, OLIVER I. HUGHES, FRANK. HILT, WARREN P. Transferred to Co. C, Sec ond 111. Vol. Inf., June 22, 1898. HOWARD, H. J. Transferred to U. S. Hos pital Corps Sept. 21, 1898. HERRING, A. C. Discharged Nov. 28, 1898. JENISSON, JAMES M. KERR, WILSON D. KELLY, FRANK H. KOMIE, JOHN. KAVANAUGH, CHARLES P. KEEGAN, CHARLES. Discharged Oct. 22, 1898. LACY, JAMES. LOFTUS, JOHN P. LlCHTENBERGER, FRED O. LlNDER, HOBART O. Discharged Nov. 28, 1898. McAuLEY, PATRICK H. MCMULLEN, GEORGE M. MINTON, GUY M. MURPHY, THOMAS J MOHYDE, LARRY. MITCHELL, W. A. Transferred to U. S. Hos pital Corps June 14, 1898. MAST, CHARLES M. Discharged Aug. 5, 1898. NELSON, JOHN. NELSON, THEODORE. OLSEN, LEONARD. ORTMANN, WILLIAM. Discharged Sept. i, 1898. OHLEY, JOHN. Discharged March 6, 1899. PEARSON, WILLIAM T. PALMS, FRED A. PEAR, JOSEPH. PRATT, HOWARD E. PURSELL, LEROY. Discharged Nov. 28, 1898. POST, CHESTER D. Discharged Jan. 6, 1899. RYAN, WILLIAM. 334 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT ROCHE, CHARLES. STOLL, HARRY J. RASMUSSEN, HENRY. Transferred to Regt. Hos- RILEY, FRANCIS J. pital Corps, June 13, 1898. Died at Jacksonville, Fla., THOLEN, FRED. July 4, 1898, of typhoid THOMPSON, JOHN. pneumonia. TUOHY, STEPHEN ±*. SCOLLARD, WILLIAM G. WALKER, THOMAS A. SCHAUBLIN, DANIEL. WEAVER, FRANK E. STICKLE, HENRY W. WOLD, Louis. WILKINSON, LINDER. CHAPTER XXIV COMPANY G CAPTAIN WILLIS, McFEELY Captain McFeely, who is a native of Buda, 111., is an old member of the Second Illinois National Guard, having joined in 1885. He served in every grade up to his present rank, except that of second lieutenant. He was born December 31, 1867, and was educated at the High School, Tiskilwa, Illinois, and married Miss Min nie Smith, by whom he has three children. He is by occupation in civil life a traveling salesman. Captain McFeely was one of the sufferers from the epidemic of typhoid fever, incurring a severe attack of that disease. Becoming convalescent, he returned home on leave of absence, at the close of which he was fortunately able to rejoin his command fully recovered. While on duty in Jacksonville, Captain McFeely was pleasantly surprised by a package containing a very elegant sword from the firm with which he was con nected before entering the service, and from its em ployes. Accompanying the sword was a letter addressed to Captain McFeely : "DEAR CAPTAIN : Within this case you will find a sword, which we expect you will carry in the service of the United States as long as the country may need your services, and when you return to the peaceful avocation of a private citizen we hope the sword may be a pleasant reminder of duties faithfully performed. "Nowadays an officer's sword is little more than an 335 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT emblem of authority ; but we trust that this one may be to you in addition an emblem of our regard for you. "We hope that amid the temptations of a soldier's life you may keep your morals as pure and clean as this polished blade ; that your eye to perceive the right may be as sharp as its point, and your honor as bright as the gold. "If you can do this, we have no fear for your future, either in peace or in war, for men love a leader whom they can respect and honor, and when they have such an officer, will follow him even into the jaws of death. May you never draw a sword in any but an honorable cause." The sword has two scabbards, a plain service scab bard and a dress scabbard, handsomely decorated and trimmed with gold, and bears the inscription : "Cap tain Willis McFeely, Company G, Second Illinois Volunteer Infantry. From Chicago friends." The gift is highly prized by Captain McFeely, coming as it did, a complete surprise to him. FIRST LIEUTENANT JOHN R. MAYESKIE. Lieutenant Mayeskie was born at Posen, in Germany, on July n, 1871, but when one year old came to Chi cago with his parents. He was educated at the Walsh Public School, on leaving which he entered upon active life as a law clerk. Enlisting in Company G, Second I. N. G., September 17, 1889, and filling with credit every successive grade up to his present rank, Lieuten ant Mayeskie is able to point with pride to the fact that during his whole period of service in the National Guard, he never was absent from any "turn out" of his regiment, seeing active service with the organization at Lemont, 111., during the race riot on the Drainage Canal, and again for thirty days during the railroad riots at the Stock Yards in 1894. 337 33^ HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT Lieutenant Mayeskie commanded Company G during the absence of Captain McFeely on account of sickness contracted during the Spanish-American campaign, in Savannah and Cuba, becoming seriously ill himself in Camp Columbia. MILITARY RECORD. Private, Company G, Second I. N. G., September 17, 1889; Corporal, May, 1891; Sergeant, November 18, 1891 ; First Sergeant, January, 1895 ; Second Lieuten ant, January 31, 1896; First Lieutenant, July 15, 1897; First Lieutenant, Second Illinois Vol. Infy., May 16, 1898. SECOND LIEUTENANT JESSE S. GARWOOD. Born November 28, 1873, at Lynnville, Jasper County, Iowa, he was educated at Robinson High School, Robinson, 111., and early took to newspaper work, being a journeyman printer at seventeen. In 1891 he went as a candidate from the Sixteenth Illinois District to the Naval Academy, but was unfortunate enough to fail in the first examination. He married, in 1894, Miss Clara A. Jensen, of Clintonville, Wis., and has three children, Elizabeth M., Harold L., and Jesse S. He is a comrade of the Army and Navy Union, and highly prizes the decoration of that society. Lieutenant Garwood saw service in the regular army, and in 1893 secured the sharpshooter's cross, while serving in the Fifteenth U. S. Infantry. Being trans ferred to the U. S. Hospital Corps, he continued in that department until discharged in 1896, when he joined the Second I. N. G., receiving rapid promotion, and securing the sharpshooter's medal of the National Guard. 339 34° HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT Lieutenant Garwood resides in Evanston, 111., and was, until the beginning of the war, engaged on the Index newspaper of that city. MILITARY RECORD. Private, Fifteenth U. S. Infy., January 20, 1893; Lance Corporal, October 3, 1893; Private U. S. Hospi tal Corps, January 15, 1894; discharged, April 19, 1896; Private, Company G, Second Infy., I. N. G., April 2, 1896; Corporal, February 9, 1897; Second Lieutenant, July 15, 1897; Second Lieutenant, Second Illinois Vol. Infy., May 16, 1898; mustered out with the regiment at Augusta, Ga., April 26, 1899. He is a strict dis ciplinarian and a good Spanish scholar. COMPANY HISTORY. Company G dates back to 1882, in which year it was organized as the University Rifles, being recruited solely from students of the old Chicago University, who elected Captain Charles Cook as their first company commander. The University Rifles were mustered into the state service in 1883 as Company I, Second Infantry, Illinois National Guard. In 1885 the com pany letter was changed from I to G. Drawing its existence from a seat of learning, this company has con tinued to educate, and the instruction bestowed has been the first stepping stone to many an efficient officer in the National Guard and Volunteer service. It has fur nished more officers to the- state service than any other company in the regiment during the same period of time. The following is a list of members of the com pany who received commissions : Colonel Louis S. Judd, Second Infantry ; Captain Charles Cook, Com- ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 341 pany G, Second Infantry ; Captain Harry Beach, Com pany D, Second Infantry; Captain W. T. McMillan, Company F, Second Infantry; *Captain Willis Mc- Feely, Company G, Second Infantry; Captain H. D. Crocker, Company F, Second Infantry ; *Captain Ben jamin E. Mendelsohn, Company G, Second Infantry ; Captain George C. Gobet, Adjutant, Second Infantry ; *Captain Wallace H. Whigham, Company H, First Infantry ; *Captain John W. McConnell, Signal Corps ; *Captain Michael E. Cassidy, Adjutant, Seventh Infan try ; ^Captain Henry Nussbaumer, Company E, Second Infantry; First Lieutenant J. F. Butler, Company G, Second Infantry ; *First Lieutenant John R. Mayeskie, Company G, Second Infantry; First Lieutenant C. H. Gilbert, Company E, Seventh Infantry ; *First Lieuten ant John E. Vannatta, Company E, Second Infantry; *First Lieutenant Walter H. Durand, Company H, Second Infantry ; Second Lieutenant C. B. Hayes, Com pany G, Second Infantry ; Second Lieutenant John F. Sullivan, Company G, Second Infantry ; * Second Lieutenant Jesse S. Gar wood, Company G, Second Infantry ; * Second Lieutenant Edward H. Titus, Com pany E, Second Infantry; ^Second Lieutenant Harri son S. Kerrick, Company D, Second Infantry. The company has an excellent record as to efficiency, both before and since being mustered into the United States Volunteer service. Captain McFeely is an old campaigner, with no mean record. He has ever been untiring in his efforts at all times to maintain strict military discipline, and his efforts were rewarded to a gratifying extent. Much credit for the maintenance of this state of *These Officers saw service in the Spanish War. 343 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT efficiency was due to First Sergeant Francis A. Burke, a veteran of the regular army, who had seen service in Indian wars. Sergeant John Leonard distinguished himself in Cerro, a suburb of Havanna, on the night of December 27th, clearing a street under fire of a fighting mob of Cuban and Spanish soldiers, with only five men of the Second Illinois Regiment. In this fight three men were killed. A teamster of the Second Illinois, named Brill, was wounded. Sergeant Leonard was personally com plimented by a member of General Lee's staff, who, in his report, spoke of the Sergeant's conduct in high terms. In Jacksonville Company G perfomed provost duty, and was complimented for efficient work by the Provost Marshal. They also participated, with the Second Battalion of the Second Illinois Volunteer Infantry, in the ceremonies pertaining to the raising of the American flag over Cienfuegos, Cuba, and in the occupation of that' city by American troops on January i, 1899. Captain McFeely being at this time sick in Savannah, the company was commanded by First Lieutenant John R. Mayeskie. Lieutenant Garwood had the honor of attaching to the halyards the first American flag raised over the city. ROSTER OF COMPANY G. Mustered into service May 16, 1898, at Springfield, Illinois. OFFICERS. WILLIS McFEELEY, Captain. — Mustered May 16, 1898. JOHN R. MAYESKIE, First Lieutenant. — Mustered May 16, 1898. JESSE S. GARWOOD, Second Lieutenant. — Mustered May 16, 1898. FRANCIS A. BURKE, First Sergeant. — Mustered May 16, 1898. FRANK WEST, Q. M. Sergeant. — Mustered May 16, 1898 as private. — Promoted Corporal July 12, 1898. — Promoted Q. M. Sergeant Dec. i, 1898. •«L: :^-3? f{*: <* 343 344 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT JOSEPH C. LASER, Sergeant. — Mustered May 16, 1898. ALOIS RYTLIK, Sergeant. — Mustered May 16, 1898. JOHN LEONARD, Sergeant. — Mustered May 16, 1898. CHAS. F. O'CONNOR, Sergeant. — Mustered May 16, 1898. DETMER A. LASER, Corporal. — Mustered May 16, 1898. JAMES D. NICOLL, Corporal. — Mustered May 16, 1898. JAMES JAMIESON, Corporal. — Mustered May 16, 1898. — Dis charged Jan. 16, 1899. WM. A. GRAHAM, Corporal. — Mustered May 16, 1898. WALTER S. GREISBACH, Corporal. — Mustered May 16, 1898. GEORGE A. BURNHAM, Corporal. — Mustered as Artificer May 16, 1898.— Promoted July 12, 1898. FRED ENGEL, Corporal. — Mustered as Wagoner, May 16, 1898. — Promoted Dec. i, 1898. WILLIAM M. CARRELL, Corporal. — Mustered as private May 16, 1898.— Promoted Dec. i, 1898. JOSEPH CARROLL, Corporal. — Mustered as private May 16, 1898. — Promoted Jan. 25, 1899. WM. F. HAMPTON, Corporal. — Mustered May 16, 1898. — Pro moted July 12, 1898. EMIL R. WENGER, Corporal. — Mustered as private May 16, 1898. — Promoted Jan. 20, 1899. HUGH C. YOUNG, Corporal. — Mustered as private May 16, 1898. — Promoted July 12, 1898. — Discharged Nov. 15, 1898. JOHN F. C. MILLER, Corporal. — Mustered as private June 18, 1898.— Promoted Jan. 25, 1899. FRED LUNDIN, Artificer. — Mustered as private May 16, 1898. — Promoted July 12, 1898. JOHN W. COLBERG, Wagoner. — Mustered as private June 18, 1898.— Promoted Dec. I, 1898. PRIVATES. BACHMAN, RUDOLPH. BROERS, JOHN. BARMER, FRANK. Mustered June 18, 1898. BARTLETT, WALTER. Discharged Jan. n, 1899. Mustered June 18, 1898. CLIMIE, JOHN S. BOWEN, CLARENCE W. Mustered June 17, 1898. Discharged Aug. 24, 1893. Discharged Feb. 18, 1899. BROOKS, CLARENCE B. ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 345 BROWN, EDWARD J. Mustered June 18, 1898. CHARVOT, JOHN. COOPER, ARTHUR T. Died Aug. 19, 1898, at Jack sonville, Fla. CRICHTON, GEORGE H. Discharged Jan. IT, 1899. CRONIN, WILLIAM F. H. EELS, WILLIAM H. ERP, WILLIAM R. Discharged March 4, 1899. FARLEIGH, RICHARD W. Discharged Aug. 20, 1898. FIND, EDWARD H. Mustered June 18, 1898. FOSTER, LEON P. Mustered June 17, 1898. Discharged Nov. i, 1898. Fox, JOHN J. J. Fox, PATRICK. Mustered June 16. 1898. FREEMAN, WALTER. Discharged Sept. 7, 1898. FREYMARK, REINOLD G. GALLAGHER, WILLIAM H. GALOUGHLY, JOHN. GEARY, DAVID J. GILLILAND, JAMES T. GOLDSMITH, CHARLES B. GORMAN, EDWARD P. GRAHAM, ROBERT. HACKE, GEORGE. Mustered June 18, 1898. Discharged Oct. 13, 1898. HAMPTON, CHARLES F. HANSEN, CHARLES. Died Sept. 19, 1898, at Jack sonville, Fla. HEINZ, CONRAD J. HILBERT, FRED. HOLST, JOHN. HOPP, WILLIAM E. Mustered June 21, 1898. JACOBS, CHARLES F. JOHNSTON, ARCHIBALD W. Discharged Oct. 23, 1898. KAMIN, WILLIAM. Transferred to Co. L Dec. 29, 1898. KAVANAUGH, MAURICE. Mustered June 17, 1898. KOCONER, MIKE. Mustered June 17, 1898. Discharged Sept. 30, 1898. KOTAPIS, FRANK. LEWIS, HERBERT. LICEY, HENRY R. MARTIN, GEORGE A. MCLAUGHLIN, JOHN M. Mustered June 17, 1898. McGuRTY, CHARLES A. MCKENNA, EUGENE W. MCLAREN, DONALD. MENDELSOHN, BEN E. MORRIS, JOSEPH L. Discharged Aug. 27, 1898. OLMSTED, HARRY. PACHLEY, ADAM G. Discharged Aug. 20, 1898. PATEK, JACOB R. Transferred to Hospital Corps June 14, 1898. PAGE, GEORGE D. Mustered June 17, 1898. Discharged Aug. 27, 1898. PETERSON, GEORGE D. Mustered June 18, 1898. Discharged Sept. ~\, 1898. 346 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT PENNY, TERRY L. Mustered June 17, 1898. POTTGETHER, HERMAN. PETERS, JOHN J. Discharged Feb. 10, 1898. PRESTON, HERBERT D. Mustered June 18, 1898. RALEIGH, WILLIAM W. RANDALL, FREDERIC. Transferred to Hospital Corps June 14, 1898. READY, JAMES E. Discharged Dec. I, 1898. REED, BURT N. Discharged Aug. i, 1898. RICHARDSON, EDW. F. ROBB, MARQUIS L. ROCHE, JOHN. ROSENBAUM, WALTER. SALA, BEN. J. Discharged Nov. 3, 1898. SASS, FRED A. SCHROEDER, JOHN F. SCHULTZ, WILLIAM H. SEGAL, CHARLES. SHANK, JOHN H. Mustered June 17, 1898. STEPHANEK, MIKE. STEINHAUSEN, ADAM. Mustered June 18, 1898. STEVENSON, ALACK A. Mustered June 18, 1898. Discharged Oct. 31, 1898. STOWELL, ARCHIE A. Discharged Oct. 10, 1898. SWENSON, NELS A. TANNER, HARRY F. Mustered June 17, 1898. TESACK, JOHN A. WEADLY, JOSEPH L. WORTH, WILLIAM H. CHAPTER XXV COMPANY H CAPTAIN JOHN J. GARRITY It will be thirty years the 2ist of June since Captain John J. Garrity became a citizen of Chicago and the United States, his parents then and now being residents of the West Side. During his youth he attended St. Patrick's Academy. In 1889 he entered the civil service as postal clerk, and enlisted in Company H, Second Regiment of Infantry, I. N. G. He is a firm believer in the old adage about the rolling stone, and has not changed duties except as they came in the way of merited promotion for honest and faithful service rendered. His first promotion in the milicia, that of Corporal, bears date of August 25, 1890. His zealous efforts in building up the company were recognized again October 10, 1891, by his election as Second Lieutenant ; and again April 24, 1892, by elec tion as First Lieutenant. His present rank followed on June 7th, same year, which gives him seniority in the regiment. His company rendered gallant service dur ing the Lemont riot in 1893, and again during the Stock Yard's strike in 1894, when he commanded both Com pany H and Company G. When war was declared he gladly gave up his position, and his men showed their loyalty by following his example, and have remained with him to the last. No commanding officer has worked more faithfully, for nearly all their service 347 348 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT found his Lieutenants either sick or on detached service. He has frequently been in command of the Second Bat talion; but never complained, however arduous the duties, the gradual increase in efficiency of the company being his only aim. Simultaneous with this advance ment has been that of the devotion and love of the mem bers of his command, which is attested by the very sub stantial manner in which they greeted him on March 1 8th at Camp Columbia, Havana, by the presentation of a handsome gold mounted sword and belt for full dress uniform. Private Frederick C. Shultz, in presenting same, made the following choice remarks : "At the present time our thoughts are nearly all cen tered on going home ; and from indications it seems that before long we will be following the bent of civil life. From the time of muster out our paths will lie apart ; before a year rolls over us we will be well scattered ; perhaps never again will we hold a meeting with all present; but time or distance cannot obliterate, nay, they will but strengthen, the tender regard which we will always cherish our comrades. Our thoughts will often travel back to our army life. Perchance some one of us may be lying asleep when a shrill alarm from outside will startle him, but, with a "damn re veille," he will turn over and sleep on. We will think of the scorching Florida sun, our tramps through the hot, burning sand, our skirmish drills, and our sham battles, until, imagining we are again in the army, we will figure and wonder from whom we can borrow another 'five' or 'ten.' We will always remember, 'Steady, there, men!' Tours right,' or 'Company H, Fall in.' We will cherish the remembrance of the hard, as well as the jolly times, that fell to our lot of service. 349 35° HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT Captain, we know that a bugle call will be unnecessary to recall to your mind the faces of the boys that make up your command, yet we offer you this sword, not only as a token of our esteem, but also as a remembrance of the joys and sorrows we bore together as Company H, Second Illinois Volunteer Infantry." LIEUTENANT WALTER J. DURAND. Lieutenant Durand was born in Chicago, May n, 1869. He enlisted as a private in Company H, June, 1892, and May of the following year was appointed Corporal. !fci November, 1894, he was promoted Ser geant, and was discharged in 1895 on account of expira tion of his term of service. In June, 1897, he was elected Second Lieutenant of Company H, and as such was mustered into the United States service May 16, 1898. July 1 6, 1898, he was promoted to the First Lieutenancy of the company, vice Beatty, resigned. His ability as a capable, conscientious officer was early recognized. May 23, 1898, the day following the regi ment's arrival in Jacksonville, Fla., he was detailed as Assistant Division Quartermaster on the staff of Brigadier-General Lawton, then in command at Jack sonville. He continued in this position until August 3, when he was returned to his company, which he assumed command of during the Captain's six weeks' illness. October 21, 1898, he was again detached from the regiment, and detailed as Quartermaster and Ord nance Officer of the Second Division Hospital of the Seventh Corps. He continued as such until February 20, 1899, when he rejoined his company, then in Havana. Lieutenant Durand's ability was recognized throughout the Seventh Corps, and his friends are ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 35 l legion among the different regiments which constituted the corps. Lieutenant Dnrand is a married man, and in civil life is senior partner in the Illinois Business College at Madison street and Ogden avenue, Chicago. CHAMBERLAIN. Second Lieutenant Fred V. S. Chamberlain of Com pany H is the youngest of the Second's officers. He was born in South Orange, N. J., July 18, 1877, and has lived in Chicago since infancy. He was educated in public and boarding schools, and was a cadet at West Point, He was at Chickamauga with the regulars, as a war correspondent, until the Second reached Jacksonville. Then he was assigned by his paper to the regiment, where he received, at the hands of military appearance, he was a striking figure on parade, where he attracted much attention. He was detailed for a considerable period as Acting Adjutant of the Third Battalion, discharging the duties entirely to the satisfaction of Major Purinton, com manding the battalion. MILITARY RECORD. Private, Second I. N. G., May 2, 1892 ; Corporal, March 7, 1893; Sergeant, August n, 1893; First Ser geant, November 30, 1896; Second Lieutenant, August 30, 1897; First Lieutenant, Second 111. Vol. Infy., May 1 6, 1898. SECOND LIEUTENANT ADOLPH BAADE. Lieutenant Baade is also a Chicagoan, born August 8, 1874, and educated at the public schools of Chicago. He is still unmarried, and up to the time of joining the United States service held a position as auditor with the Western Electric Company, with which company Lieutenant Unfried also held a clerical appointment. Both officers joined the Second I. N. G. in the same month, and were made Corporals on the same day. The outbreak of the war found Lieutenant Baade holding the appointment of First Sergeant of Company ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER \NTRY 37 L, an office in which he had disp: marked ability, and was rewarded by promotion tc acant Second Lieutenancy. Popular and efficie' non-commis sioned officer, First Sergeant Baa ] fully demon strated his worthiness for commis d rank ; and his elevation was exceedingly gratifyi: ) his friends, the entire company numbering themser ,-j in that category. Of refined and gentlemanly ma' ners, and of hand some appearance, Lieutenant B .dde was eminently qualified to reflect credit upon any position to which he might be called, and, had opportunity offered, would have doubtless received, as he well merited, further promotion. MILITARY RECORD. Private, Second I. N. G., May 25, 1892; Corporal, March 7, 1893; Sergeant, July 3, 1894; First Sergeant, August 30, 1897; Second Lieutenant, Second 111. Vol. Infy., May 16, 1898. COMPANY HISTORY. The story of Company L will not, presumably, differ from the story of any other company in the regiment, if we tell only of things "militaire" ; nor do the indi viduals differ from those of any other company. They are alike. There is the man who speaks broken English, and the one who speaks as if his had been a goodly share of schooling. The man with a mischievous grin con stantly on his face, and that sober-looking individual whom none can rightly judge. There is the good sol dier and the bad soldier ; those who have never seen the guard house, and those who frequent the guard house ; the one who always works and never "kicks/' and the one who seldom works and always ' 'kicks." 3 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT This cosmopolitan collection of individuals in a com pany finds no two alike ; and yet they are all alike when the mad rush for "place" in the line when mess call sounds. They are all eager to "stand in" with the cook and get a "double header." The company cook, indeed, ah ! what a Czar he was, and it always paid to "stand in" with him. "A friend in need is a friend indeed/' goes the proverb ; and what soldier was not in need when mess call sounded ! Now in retrospect the story of L is to members of Company L an ever-to-be-remembered one. One of multi-variations of the theme which brought us into existence as a regiment of volunteers. One where joys and pathos have mingled; where the sufferings of "a dreary waiting camp life made many a soldier-boy's heart over-weary; where the thought of comrades fighting in trenches while we were forced to abide our time,, made soldiering such as we had, a harder lot than can be imagined. Our wish had been, and remained throughout the campaign, for only a chance to show our mettle. It was a hard battle with us to remain inactive while others fought and gave their lives. That grand antici pation which had been ours in Springfield, 111., remained ours until even after peace had been declared while we lay in Jacksonville, Fla., and with this anticipation always in view, Company L was always a willing com pany to drill; alwavs anxious to learn, and faithful to the lesser or greater duties of camp life ; a hardier, browner-tanned company of boys did not exist. Robust in health were they all, and during the first two months at Jacksonville, before the days of fever that came later as an epidemic, there was not one who thought of sickness. 389 39° HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT Sickness, then, to us seemed ignominous failure in our duty. Perhaps some of us would have acted differ ently could we have pierced the future and foreseen the inevitable that was to come, and when it did it was to make history in the respective companies of the regiment. The reminiscence of those days is one we look back upon with awe. Then we hardly realized what havoc the ravages of malaria, typhoid, and intestinal diseases played among us. It almost seemed as if we were in a stupor — a dream, as it were, where, one by one at first, then by two's or more, our comrades took sick and submitted, going through the various stages of a sick soldier ; — indisposed, sick book, and answering sick call in the mornings — sick in quarters, sick in the regi mental hospital, and then to the Division Hospital, where, during the torturing days of the hottest summer months, they lay with only a canvas cloth between them and the direct rays of a burning sun. How crowded were now the wards ; and long and weary were the days, to lie with a fevered brow, and listen to the ravings of delirious soldiers. Or perhaps fate was kind enough to ease our suffering a wee bit by placing us in a state of semi-consciousness — time flew faster then. The Hospital Corps men — the only nurses available during the first months — did all they could, all they knew, to help us, but it is not given to man that blessed virtue of knowing how to nurse, and their pardonable shortcomings were many. All this was, in a measure, retrieved with the coming of female nurses, and many a soldier of L remembers with ten derness the gentle care of his nurse, feels under the ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 39* greatest obligation to them, and, perhaps, more than one "mail day" has found them reading answered letters from their nurses. That was a soldier's sickness, with its variations, invariably ending with the gladdening furlough. Over in the company street there was much anxiety. The face of our commanding officer grew graver day by day, and his attention greater. His endeavors to help us multiplied, and yet the boys dropped one by one — at drill, during guard mount, or in their quarters. It was no uncommon sight to see the Hospital Corps men running to take the limp form of a weakened sol dier to the hospital on a stretcher, or, perchance, after the evening meal was over we found some comrade in a feverish condition in his tent, and took him to the hospital. Thus, sickness increased, and those as yet untouched battled harder against it. The word sick ness was grating to our ears, the sick call a discordant sound. Every one endeavored to avert "going on the sick book." Every one "bucked" against that ominous feeling of laxness, always indicative of fever, but withal the company grew smaller, and on every man's features was depicted the question "who's next?" Men for active duty grew scarce; those not in the hospital were, a good many of them, "sick in quarters." L had been for a long time the healthiest company in the regiment, but during the worst season, August, September and October, it dwindled down to the bot tom of the list. Where once we had drilled with ten and eleven sets of "fours," we now drilled with two, and they were at times "skeleton fours." Sixty per cent of L was down sick or on sick furlough — a formid- 392 HISTORY OE THE SECOND REGIMENT able fact — and yet we were only one company of twenty- five regiments that at one time comprised the Seventh Army Corps. Those were dismal and discouraging days. Our Captain was beseiged by anxious inquiries from friends and relatives at home — every one an urgent inquiry as to the condition of a soldier-son, brother, or sweetheart. On the 2d of September came the sad news of L's first death. Stroebel was gone, and we stood as if stunned. Stroebel was one of the healthiest and most robust looking men in our ranks — a German, who had come to us as a recruit in June, and least of all did we think him the first to die. With military honors we laid him to rest in the Government lot, No. 15, in Evergreen cemetery, Jacksonville. On the I4th Chas. Donley, one of two brothers, died, but his was an unex pected death. Reported as recovering, while his brother was expected to die, he passed away, and W. H. Don- ley lived. On the i8th Arthur Connelly, who, with his father, Thomas, had enlisted in June, passed away, and once more our company was in gloom. These last two comrades we sent home to sorrowing relatives, for burial. Again, on the 24th, another death among us ; and now beside Stroebel in Evergreen cemetery lies Steffins, whose relatives we could not trace. Company L was his only known mourner. Coupled with the memory of these four dead com rades are many incidents we are wont to remember. Fine lads, all of them, and liked by their comrades, they will always be remembered. Perhaps some of us think Stroebel's death was premature. He did not realize his condition, and so when one morning he answered sick call, he, in his broken English, could not make the sur- ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 393 geon understand, and when it was suggested that per haps he could go on duty, replied, " Ya, may pe so ; may pe I get petter if I vork a leetle," and went "on duty." L was then doing Provost Guard duty in the city of Jacksonville, being quartered on the third story of a business building, and when Stroebel came to us we carried him up stairs, so weak was he. A night or two later we carried Stroebel and Donlevy down stairs to an ambulance. We carried Stroebel again shortly afterward, but then — we were pallbearers. "I don't claim any education to speak of," Charlie Donlevy would say, with that gleam in his eye betoken ing wit, "but I always hold my own in an argument. No matter what you are arguing, if you don't under stand the other fellow, or know what he's talking about, if you think he is getting the best of you, just shake your head as if you knew it all, and say, 'Oh, no ; that's not so ; that's wrong,' or say that you tell him he lies, and he will start all over again, and give up at last." That was Donlevy always. Perhaps some of us remember him once as he practiced this, his debater's art, on a comrade, who was, as he claimed, an atheist. There had been much said, pro and con, in a heated argument as to whether there was a heaven and hell, or not. The atheist, heated and enthusiastic ; Donlevy, cool and ready for his "Oh, no ; that's not so." Donlevy said there were such places. His opponent said "no," and, at length, asked Donlevy to answer conscientiously his question, "Charlie, do you really believe there is a heaven?" and Charlie answered at once "Oh, — yes," which brought the listeners to an uproar, and the argu ment stopped. Donlevy died while his brother William lay ill at the 394 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT hospital, and to keep his death a secret was a hard though necessary duty toward William. This was the dark side of Company L's story. Company L was a closely related one. Of brothers there were the Donlevys, Davises, Furstenbergs, and Porters. There were a father, son, and an uncle also enlisted. The men, too, were allowed to choose their tent mates instead of being placed alphabetically, and this helped to make the ties of friendship more binding. Of the relatives there is but one set left. One of the Furstenbergs and one of the Davis brothers were dis charged. Chas. Donlevy died ; William was discharged, and Arthur Connelly died, too, leaving the father and uncle alone. The Porter brothers are now all there are left of the many brothers. From the Lieutenants down there is a crowd of sol diers who have played together as boys, and worked together as men for one firm, and now are soldiers to gether. All this tended to make Company L one where the best of feeling existed. Chronologically, the story of Company L is identical with that of the regiment in most details. It has been one of the cogs in the regimental wheel, working in unison with the other companies. On the I4th of Aug ust the company was detached from the regiment, mov ing to the business portion of Jacksonville to do Provost Guard duty, under Major Harrison. Staying there about ten days, L had its representatives in the regi ment of picked men from the Seventh Army Corps at the dedication of the Confederate soldiers' monu ment in Jacksonville. The company made up from the Second Illinois was commanded by L company's com mander, Captain J. W. Swatek. An honor, indeed, to ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 395 all Northerners. From L the Third Battalion had one of its representatives at the recruiting station in Chi cago, 111. It had the honor of "escorting the colors" reviewed by General Lee, and was greatly honored in being one of the companies of the Third Battalion which represented the Second Division, Seventh Army Corps, at the impressive ceremonies on the anniversary of the explosion of the "Maine." Marching to Colon cemetery where, in the greatest simplicity, the living paid homage to the dead heroes of the ill-fated Maine, Major Purinton could justly be proud of his battalion on that day. In fact, we are sure he was proud of his four companies, for that evening we heard "Papa" Pur inton talk to our Captain, as he was wont to talk when pleased : "Jawn," he would sav, "Jawn, we looked pretty good to-day," and Jawn would say, "Have a cigar, Major," which "Papa" always did. From the ranks of Company L the Regimental Nations! Color Bearer Sergeant was appointed, and this, too, was a creditable honor for L. On the 1 8th of February, while in Cuba, Company L reported once more to Major Harrison for Provost duty, camping at Quemados, a pretty town of gardens and grand old buildings of quaint architecture. It was in the neighborhood of this town that Captain Sigsbee rode a few nights before the destruction of his ship and was hissed on all sides. A different spirit is now visible, for Company L will long remember the kindness of the Quemado>s people. Its poor will, I think, also remember us, for, from the back of the com pany kitchen, more than one family was fed from the scraps and leavings of the soldiers' mess. There was 396 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT always a crowd of yelling natives and children assem bled there at meal times, and there it was that "pan cakes" received the name of "ponchos," or "blankets." Some of L's mischievous members taught the begging Cubans to call "pancakes" "poncho," and every morn ing came the cry, "Mita, mita, gi-me poncho — gi-me blanket." La, Playa, a small seaport town below Quemados, was guarded by a squad from Company L. La Venta Springs, which, on account of its pestilent fleas, was nick-named "Fort Flea," one of the many sources of Havana's water supply — a fine work of engineering about twelve miles from Quemados — was also guarded by a detail from L. The United States Paymaster's headquarters and the Quemados jail were later, to gether with La Venta Springs, places that L guarded. L remained on Provost duty until March 28, 1899, when it was relieved. On the 29th came the orders to leave for the States, and on that date we broke camp and proceeded to the San Jose docks in Havana and embarked on the Plant line steamer "Olivette" with Company C, our regi ment, amid the cheers of the "Jackies" of the U. S. S. "Resolute" and the playing of the Commodore's band on that ship, steamed out of the harbor which some months before we triumphantly had entered. L and C arrived at Tampa, Fla., the evening of the 3oth of March, after the usual work of fumigation at the fumigating station, not much the worse for this or from the trials of seasickness on the way across, and by rail proceeded to Augusta, Ga., by way of Savannah, and went into camp waiting the arrival of the rest of the regiment, the last of which 397 39^ HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT joined us on the 5th of April. Thus the regiment was once again wholly united at Camp McKenzie. During the period previous to the fever epidemic, there had been crowded tents of good-natured soldier- lads, who sang in the twilight and evenings between "retreat" and "taps," who pranced around like colts during the days. Later there came a time of down- heartedness and gloom permeated every man's words and actions. There was a vacancy in every tent; the songs were gone — the joking done. During that time, however, every man's nerve was tested. That which was best in a man came out on top then, as in sympathy a soldier helped a comrade while ill at the hospitals or in quarters, visiting him whenever permissible, and bringing him the delicacies allowed. Then came a period of almost inactivity, as it seemed. Comrades were home recuperating, and the company waited its reunion. November found them coming back, and with the Third Battalion, on the I2th of Decem ber, we embarked for Cuba, all united once more, merry and expectant of what was to be, after our long months of waiting. All united save Zeigner, Sorenson, and Sergeant Erickson, who were discharged. A few others secured their discharges while the company was yet in the States. Once in Cuba the time of happy comradeship recommenced anew. The songs started up, the joking went the rounds, and L was happy again. Camp routine slid along smoothly ; there was health and cheer on every man's countenance. "Water Tank" Smith sang his songs, improvised on any and all provo cations. "Rough House" pranced around, a terror to his tent as he jocosely teased his mess-mates. Parks was a "good soldier" over again. Ross spoke Spanish ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 399 (he had studied in the States), but failed to make him self understood. Everybody bought cane knives and called them "machetes," until L resembled a walking- arsenal. Quartermaster Kiesgen supplied our wants purchased from the company fund, and showed his economic abilities, for once, when he decided to give us a treat, he bought some prunes. Two pounds ought to be enough, he thought, but five pounds would more than feed us lavishly. That night every man got tivo prunes, and ever afterward Kiesgen heard the cry, "who bought, the prunes ?" But Kiesgen learned. "Water Tank Smith" was one of the detail who vol unteered to lay water pipe from the main pipe which was to supply the regiment. Colonel Young, of the Engineers, seemed to have made it understood that the Second Illinois detail should lay pipes toward our regiment, but the pipes were headed toward the Texas regiment. Smith, together with the others, laid down "their arms" and reported back to the Second Illinois, relating the circumstances to Colonel Moulton. That night "Water Tank" sang a song to the air of "Break the News to Mother" : "In a regiment far in Cuba, the First Sergeant came one day, And said, 'who'll volunteer to lay some water pipe/ he sang. The 'Top' had promised relief from roll-call, and 'per haps some extra pay.' T will/ a gang then shouted, 'although the work be hard/ etc — And wound up with the chorus : " Just break the news to Colonel Young, And tell him that we'll all be hung 4°° HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT Before another inch of water pipe we'll lay. 'Twas understood by us to-day We'd lay the pipe the other way. We'll lay the pipe to our reg'ment, Or lay no pipe at all/' Smith has a verse written on every man in the com pany, and he sings them gayly. The cook, I presume, did not satisfactorily answer Smith, who sang some thing about "double headers on salt," and the chorus : "Bean soup for supper, Bean soup for supper, etc., And that ain't no lie." While on duty at Quemados, "Rough House" had a considerable honor thrown upon him. On the night of the anniversary of the commencing of the insurrection the Cubans had a sort of festivity. They assembled on the main street of the town dressed in a grotesque man ner, and formed a parade headed by a Cuban carrying a transparency. They passed Company L's camp, where "Rough House" joined them, dressed in an undershirt, kahki pants and a pair of Cuban slippers. He took the lantern from the Cuban and assumed the leadership. Marching down the street, stopping every few feet, when the Cubans would form a circle about "Rough House," dancing and crying their "vivas," to which "Rough House" responded, and then he took up the dictatorship and called for the hurrahs. "Viva Gomez !" "Viva Garcia," "Viva Cuba Libre !" he yelled, and the Cubans answered back "Viva," as if their lives depended on it. "Viva Garcia! Viva!" "Viva John Swatek," cried Rough House, and "Viva" answered they. "Viva Hinky Dink," he called again, and was answered by a louder "Viva." ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 401 By this time a Cuban had deciphered "Rough House's" cry, and the Cubans cried "Viva John Swatek," "Viva Dinky Hink," and "Rough House" responded. So on through the town "Rough House" exchanged "vivas" with the Cubans. When they went down on their knees in a circle to pronounce a curse upon Weyler, who was represented by a snake, made of rags and lying on the ground, "Rough House" joined in. "Taps" sounded, and he was forced to return to camp, leaving the Cubans, undoubtedly, to their sorrr.w ; for he made more noise than the throng who followed him. There is much to tell of incidents occurring, but space forbids. It will all be told when Company L/s mem bers gather at reunions, or the comrades meet in after years to tell the "story of L" over again. Fond memo ries will linger in the minds of its members, brought closer together by a long soldier life. Ties of friend ship have been bound tightly, and will still closer be bound as the years roll on. The anticipations of grand things, the life of waiting — a soldier's hardest lot ; the reminiscences of all our camp experiences ; the sad and weary linked with the joys of it all, will remain as memories. Custer's command lives — all regular army organiza tions live — new members walk in the steps of older heroes, but a volunteer regiment is born — lives glori ously, perhaps, and then dies ; and with this class Com pany L is now only a memory. The L that we knew will never live again, but its memory will. 402 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT ROSTER OF COMPANY L. Mustered into service May 16, 1898, at Springfield, Illinois. OFFICERS. JOHN W. S WATER, Captain.— Mustered into service May 16 1898. WILLIAM J. UNFRIED, First Lieutenant.— Mustered into service May 1 6, 1898. ADOLPH BAADE, Second Lieutenant. — Mustered into service May 1 6, 1898. JULIUS H. FURSTENBERG, First Sergeant. SAMUEL T. HUNTER, Sergeant. CHARLES WIGCER, Sergeant. ANTON F. SORENSON, Sergeant. FLORENCE K KIESGEN, Q. M. Sergeant. ADOLPH ERIKSON, Sergeant. GEORGE F. AHLBORN, Corporal. IVA H. MORGAN, Corporal. JOHN J. HAZLITT, Corporal. JAMES W. FITZ PATRICK, Corporal. HUMEOLD VON HORN, Corporal. THOMAS VAN LEAR, Corporal. EDWIN S. McGiNNis, Corporal.— Promoted July 3, 1898. FRANK G. MILLER, Corporal.— Promoted July 3, 1898. ELMER C. Ross, Corporal. — Promoted July 3, 1898. JOHN CAUL, Corporal.— Promoted July 3, 1898. BRUNO BRUNNER, Corporal.— Promoted July 3, 1898. CHARLES S. SHREVE, Artificer. HERMAN LEMKE, Wagoner. PRIVATES. ARNDT, ALBERT F. CHEER, CHARLES E. BARBER, JOSEPH. COLT MAN, GEORGE F. BAYER, JOSEPH. COLTERMAN, STANLEY M. BELL, Gus. Discharged Sept. 20, 1898. BRANUSHAGEN, F. C. CONNELLY, THOMAS. BRANSS, HUGO. CONNELLY, ARTHUR. BREIDT, HENRY W. Died Sept. 14, 1898. BUELL, WALTER S. CONNERS, FRANK M. ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 4°3 CONSELYEA, WlLLIAM A. DAHL, BALSER F. DAUTEL, CYRUS S. DAVIS, GEORGE B. DAVIS, PERCY. Discharged Sept. 20, 1898. DERRY, HARRY. DETTMAN, Louis J. DEUTSCHER, WILLIAM. DIXON, EUGENE. DON LEY, CHARLES. Died Sept. 14, 1898. DONLEVY, WILLIAM C. DONLEY, WILLIAM H. EDWARDS, EDWARD J. EGAN, EDWARD H. ESSIG, CHARLES G. FELT, LOREN M. FURSTENBERG, ALEX. Discharged Oct. u, 1898. FLEMMING, FRED C. FOOTE, HENRY W. GOSSET, HENRY A. GRANAHAN, JOHN A. GREIG, JOHN W. GUNDERSON, GEORGE B. HAMMOND, THOMAS O. HANCOCK, JOHN D. HANSEN, JULIUS H. HEDMAN, MAGNUS E. HEUBACH, HENRY. JORGENSON, JOHN. JOSEPHSON, JOSEPH. KAHL, OTTO. KERBY, FREDERICK A. KNAPPMAN, EDW. R. LA FORCE, BIRDSALL. LONGSTRETH, CHARLES R. MANEKE, ROBERT E. MORRISON, JOHN D. Discharged Sept. 20, 1898. O'BRIEN. JOHN. PARKS, FRANK. PATZMAN, JULIUS. PHILLIPS, JOHN C. PORTER, GEORGE. PORTER, JOSEPH. QUEENAN, BERT E. ROBINSON, WILLIAM F. RUTZEN, FRED B. SAUNDERS, WILLIAM A. Transferred to Q. M. Dept. May 16, 1898. Appointed Regimental Q. M. Sergeant Jan. 25, 1899. SCHOEKEL, FRED J. SMITH, AUGUST C. SMITH, WILLIAM R. STRODE, HERBERT E. Discharged Aug. i, 1898. STROBEL, HERMAN. Died Sept. 2, 1898. STEFFINS, HENRY. Died Sept. 24, 1898. SMITH, GEORGE A. SORENSON, EMIL S. STATHAM, ARTHUR J. THEMES, EVERETT. TREITZ, PETER. WAUGH, FRANK. WERNER, WILLIAM. ZEIGNER, PAUL. CHAPTER XXIX COMPANY M CAPTAIN JOHN McFADDEN Captain McFadden is probably the best known and one of the most popular officers in the regiment. He was born in New York City, August 13, 1862, and later with his family removed to Cambridge, Henry Co., 111. He received his early education in the public and high schools of these two cities, and at his majority engaged in a general mercantile business in Cambridge with his father. His business ability was soon after recognized by his appointment as cashier of the local bank, and his military career dates from November 21, 1879, when he enlisted as a private in Company E, Fourteenth Bat talion, I. N. G. This company was subsequently Com pany D, Sixth Infy. I. N. G., and in May, 1881, he was appointed Corporal. July of the same year he was promoted Sergeant, and in October was made First Sergeant. In June, 1882, he was elected Second Lieu tenant, and in May of the following year was advanced to the First Lieutenancy. He was elected Captain June, 1884, and in 1887 was reflected for a second term. In August, 1889, he was elected Major, his term expiring in August, 1894. About this time he was appointed cashier of the Internal Revenue office at Chicago, and removed to that city, and, November 19, 1895, was elected Captain of Company M, Second Infy. I. N. G., 404 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT which rank he held at the time of the company's muster into the United States service, May 16, 1898. Captain McFadden is possessed of rare executive ability and his success, as shown by the high state of discipline and drill of his company, was the subject of general remark. Shortly after the regi ment's arrival in Jacksonville, Fla., in May, 1898, he was detailed as Acting Depot Commissary of the then growing Seventh Army Corps. At this time the corps was being organized, and, with a regiment arriving almost every day until the total num ber of men he was called upon to ration reached 32,- ooo, his task was no sinecure by any means. When the regularly detailed depot Commissary arrived, Captain McFadden's splendid work was recognized by his being detailed on the staff of General Arnold, commanding the Second Division, Seventh Corps, as Commissary of Subsistence, and he performed the duties of this trying office in the same efficient manner until he was relieved in September of the same year. His fame as an executive officer spread, and upon his return to his company Colonel Moulton detailed him to take charge of the regimental bakery and the regi mental exchange. His conduct of both was the won der and admiration of the entire regiment, and up to the time of the mustering out he continued in charge, and through his admirable administration the exchange paid into the several company funds on an average of $150 per month. In January, 1899, while the regi ment was in Cuba, Captain Thompson, the regimental Ordnance Officer and Commissary of Subsistence, was detailed as inspector of police for the city of Havana, and Captain McFadden was detailed to act in his stead, and notwithstanding the fact lie ever kept a watchful, ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 407 fatherly eye upon his own company, and acted as regi mental Treasurer in addition to his other duties in the regimental bakery and exchange, he performed the duties of all four in a manner which won for him the highest commendation on all sides. That his ability is also recognized in civil life is evi denced by the fact that he has held the position of cash ier of the Internal Revenue Office at Chicago all through the administration of President Cleveland, was re-appointed under President McKinley's adminis tration, and was given a one year's leave of absence by the Government to enable him to "go to the front" with his regiment. Captain McFadden is a genial, whole-souled man, and his friends are legion in every town the regiment has encamped during its year of service. He is popu lar both with the officers and enlisted men of the regi ment, who admire his sterling worth and ability, and he can lay aside his sword and resume the "pursuits of peace" with the full knowledge that he has the respect and confidence of every man in the "Second Illinois." LIEUTENANT ANDREW E. ERICSON. Lieutenant Ericson was born on Christmas day, 1871, in the city of Chicago. He received his early education in the public schools of that city, and later was gradu ated from the North Division High School. In civil life he is a salesman in the employ of Armour & Co., is married, and is the father of one child, a girl, aged two years. He enlisted as a private in Company M, Second Infy. I. N. G., December 7, 1891, was promoted Corporal in March, 1894, Sergeant in May, 1894, First Sergeant in April, 1896, elected Second Lieutenant May 19, 1896, HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT and was mustered into the United States service as First Lieutenant May 16, 1898. Although one of the youngest officers in the regi ment, Lieutenant Ericson was ever regarded as one of the most efficient, and his appetite for hard work is without limit. During the months that Captain Mc- Fadden was absent on detached service, the command of the company devolved upon Lieutenant Ericson, and much of the credit for the high state of drill and dis cipline of the company is due him for his untiring and efficient administration of the company affairs while he was in command. During this time, Second Lieu tenant Haussner was absent on leave, and this left Lieu tenant Ericson alone in command of the company. During the regiment's stay in Cuba, and notwithstand ing the fact that he was the only officer present for duty with the company, he acted as Judge Advocate of a general court-martial which sat almost daily for two months, and he performed the duties of both offices in a manner which won for him the favorable comment of all his brother officers. Lieutenant Ericson is modest and unassuming, and is popular throughout the regiment. During the regi ment's stay in Jacksonville, Fla., he was presented with a handsome sword and belt, suitably inscribed, by the members of his company, as an evidence of their respect and esteem. LIEUTENANT ARTHUR A. HAUSSNER. Lieutenant Haussner is a native Chicagoan, and was born July 20, 1874. He received his early education in the Chicago public and high schools, and is a book keeper by occupation. His military career dates from August 7, 1893, when he enlisted as a private in Com- 409 410 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT pany M, Second Infy. I. N. G. May 9, 1894, he was appointed Corporal, and June 12, 1895, was promoted Sergeant. August 6, 1896, he was discharged by rea son of expiration of his term of service, but immedi ately reenlisted, and, September 16 of the same year, was made First Sergeant of the company. When the regiment was mustered into the United States service, May 1 6, 1898, he was mustered in as Second Lieutenant of the company, and served as such throughout the regiment's year of service. January 5, 1899, he was detached from the regiment and assigned to the Tenth United States Infantry, and served with that regiment until March 31, 1899, at Havana and Matanzas, Cuba. The Lieutenant is a single man, and is a resident of the North Side, Chicago. COMPANY HISTORY. Company M owes its origin to the fact that a body of young men residing in the region of West Lake street and Western avenue met in 1879 and organized a Cav alry troop and met for drills weekly at old Castle's Hall, at Lake and Paulina streets. In the early part of 1880 this troop was mustered into the State service as Troop E, First Cavalry I. N. G., with Farlin Q. Ball as Cap tain. Captain Ball was subsequently Judge Advocate on the staff of Brigadier-General Fitz-Simons, of the First Brigade I. N. G., and is now a judge of the Cir cuit Court of Cook County. Captain Ball was suc ceeded by Ingvor Larson, an ex-Captain of the Swedish Army, who in turn was succeeded by Captain James E. Drum. Hugh McLachlan was the next Captain of the company, and he was, in 1886, succeeded by J. R. Wil liams, who was Captain of the company at the time of its ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 411 muster into the service as Company M, Second Infy. I. N. G., in May, 1887. Captain Williams was twice offered a majority in the regiment, and subsequently resigned for business reasons. He was succeeded by Captain W. B. Alexander, who resigned and was suc ceeded by Captain John McFadden, November 19, 1895. The company, at the President's call for troops, reported with the regiment at Springfield, 111., April 27, 1898, and was mustered into the United States service May 1 6th with the maximum eighty-one men and three officers. An evidence of the sturdy caliber of the men is shown in the fact that in the medical examination previous to its muster into the Volunteer service, but three men were rejected. The officers mustered were Captain John McFadden ; First Lieutenant Andrew E. Eriscon, and Second Lieu tenant Arthur A. Haussner. The history of Company M, subsequent to May 16, 1898, is the history of the regiment. It participated in all the short-lived joy at the prospect of getting to the front, and endured all the hardships of the summer camp at Jacksonville, and later at Savannah, Ga., and Havana, Cuba. The com pany was ever recognized as one of the best in the regi ment, and was noted for the extreme good nature and harmony that prevailed among its members, who insti tuted that delightful and interesting function known as a ''rough house." This consists of an over-exuberance of spirits, sufficient in quantity to impel the participants to make a flank attack on a luckless tent of sleeping sol diers, and in an instant the balmy Southern air is mixed up with a conglomeration of rudely awakened sons of Mars, canvas tents, regulation blankets, and the several and essential components of a soldier's wearing apparel, 412 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT uniform and equipment. The regulations make no pro vision for occurrences of this nature, and, as a result, the "powers that be" were not called upon to> perform that painful operation known as "shooting at sunrise" upon any of the frisky members of "Noisy M." Captain McFadden is a man of recognized executive ability, and to this fact may be attributed in no small measure the enviable record made by Company M. Shortly after the company's arrival at Jacksonville, he was appointed Acting Division Commissary, and for four months performed the arduous duties of that office in a manner that not only reflected credit upon his regi ment and himself, but upon the entire army of Volun teer soldiers as well. The proper administration of affairs in the commissary department of an army prob ably calls for more attention to detail and exercise of judgment than any department of the army, and Cap tain McFadden is entitled to full credit for his able con duct of the office. During his detachment from the company, the command devolved upon First Lieutenant Ericson, who, although a young man, proved what a live Chicago boy can do when given the opportunity, by administering the affairs of the company in a man ner that called forth commendation from "Headquar ters" and an approval from the members of the com pany in the shape of the presentation of a beautiful sword made him by the enlisted men of the company. During its year of service the company lost but one man by death. Private Jerry Leyhan, an amiable and much-beloved comrade, was the first and only victim of the grim reaper, and he succumbed to an attack of the dread typhoid early in October. His remains were sent home to his sorrowing sister in New York State 4*3 4H HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT in charge of Corporal Emmett McFadden, who was fur nished full power and means to see that his fallen com rade was laid away as becomes a hero and a soldier. No history of Company M would be complete with out a full acknowledgment of the unselfish loyalty, cheerful obedience, and the excellent esprit du corps of each and every individual member of the company being made, and it is but fair to these excellent fellows to assert that no more enthusiastic, patriotic, uncom plaining and loyal body of men ever responded to the call of their country, prepared to "do or die," than did the splendid boys of "M." The company has ever been noted for its high state of efficiency, and as Troop E and Company M it was always kept at a very high standard, and regularly entered competitive drills and gave exhibition drills throughout the state. It also has contributed possibly more officers to the I. N. G. and volunteer service than any company in the regiment. The following officers were at one time or another members of Company M : Captain F. W. Laas, Regimental Quartermaster; Cap tain Fred E. Koehler, Company I ; Lieutenant Willis C. Metcalf, Company I ; Lieutenant B. S. Purinton, Company I ; Ex-Lieutenant A. E. Luery, Company K, and Lieutenant Frank T. Caspers, Company K. The non-commissioned officers of the company are an exceptionally intelligent body of men, and are responsi ble, in a great measure, for the splendid record made by the company. First Sergeant Robert Y. Wallace performed the trying duties of his office with discretion and ability and was ably seconded by Quartermaster Sergeant George H. Pratt and Sergeants Crowell, Dowd, Prescott, and Toolen, and Corporals Johnson, ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 415 Iman, Purcell, Brown, Haussner, Slater, Sievert, Mc- Fadden, Sheesley, Fenzel, Halvorsen, and Wolf. Others who contributed to the success of the company are Artificer Magnuson, Wagoner Almquist, and last, but not least, Company Cook, Corporal Theodore Kan- dul, who was an important factor in keeping the com pany's sick-list down to the minimum. That the ability of the company was not lost sight of is evidenced by the fact that Captain McFadden was selected to act as acting commissary officer, ordnance officer, treasurer of post council, officer in charge of regimental bakery, and regimental exchange during the regiment's stay in Cuba, and performed the various and exacting duties of these offices in a manner which reflected high credit upon himself, as an officer of un usual ability and executive power. During the stay of the regiment in Cuba Second Lieutenant Haussner was, in the absence of a number of officers on staff duty, detailed with the Tenth U. S. Infantry for duty in Havana, \vhich left Lieutenant Ericson alone in com mand of the company, and, notwithstanding this fact, he ably and successfully fulfilled, for three months, the duties of Judge Advocate of a general court-martial, which sat almost daily during the regiment's stay in Cuba. Other members of the company whose abilities were recognized, were : Corporal M. J. Purcell, who was detailed for duty with the Provost Marshal of the Seventh Corps during its stay in Jacksonville and Sav annah ; Sergeant C. J. Crowell, who was temporarily detailed as acting Battalion Sergeant-Major ; Private George Conway, who was detailed as stenographer at Seventh Corps headquarters, and at one time the com- HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT pany had a representative in the regimental butcher shop, the regimental bakery, one in charge of the regi mental stables, three in the regimental exchange, one in the commissary department, one in the Quartermaster's department, two in the regimental hospital. The com pany lost all told, during its year of service, five men by transfer to other companies and to the Hospital Corps, U. S. A., and eighteen men by discharge for physical disability and by favor. The company was further honored with the distinc tion of being the first company of United States troops to do provost guard duty in the City of Havana, Cuba. December i8th the Cerro district of Havana was evacu ated by Spanish troops and the company was detailed the day following its arrival at Camp Columbia to take possession of the district thus evacuated. The evacua tion was attended by numerous riots and disorders, in which several soldiers were shot, including a teamster of the regiment. The company performed this delicate duty in a highly efficient manner, which brought forth the commendation of the Provost Marshal. Altogether the officers and men of the company have every reason to be proud of the record made by "M," and the officers wish the writer to state that the record was made possible by the hearty and willing coopera tion of every individual member of the company, whose loyalty, devotion to the interests of the company, un hesitating obedience, and intelligent conception of the duties of a soldier — an American soldier — were con stantly a source of extreme gratification to themselves and they further desire to thank every member of the company for "a duty well and faithfully done." ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 41? ROSTER OF COMPANY M. Mustered into service May 16, 1898, at Springfield, Illinois. OFFICERS. JOHN MCFADDEN, Captain. — Mustered May 16, 1898. ANDREW E. ERICSON, First Lieutenant — Mustered May 16, 1898. ANDREW A. HAUSSNER, Second Lieutenant. — Mustered May 16, 1898. WM. F. JENKINS, First Sergeant. — Mustered May 16, 1898. — Discharged Nov. i, 1898. ROBERT Y. WALLACE, First Sergeant. — Mustered as Sergeant May 16, 1898.— Promoted Q. M. Sergeant Sept 2, 1898.— Promoted First Sergeant Nov. 10, 1898. GEORGE H. PRATT, Q. M. Sergeant.— Mustered May 16, 1898.— Promoted Nov. 10, 1898. CLARENCE J. CROWELL, Sergeant. — Mustered May 16, 1898. GEORGE L. DOWD, Sergeant. — Mustered May 16, 1898. HARRY D. PRESCOTT, Sergeant. — Mustered May 16, 1898. — Pro moted from Corporal Dec. 27, 1898. CLARENCE A. TOOLEN, Sergeant. — Mustered May 16, 1898. — Promoted Dec. 27, 1898. FRANK T. CASPERS, Sergeant. — Discharged Nov. 8, 1898. CARL O. JOHNSON, Corporal. — Mustered May 16, 1898. EMMETT MCFADDEN, Corporal. — Mustered May 16, 1898. JOSEPH SENFTENBURG, Corporal. — Mustered May 16, 1898. — Transferred to U. S. Hospital Corps July 24, 1898. CHAS. L. SIEVERT, Corporal. — Mustered May 16, 1898. Louis WOLLF, Corporal. — Mustered May 16, 1898. — Promoted July i, 1898. EDWARD F. BROWN, Corporal.— Mustered May 16, 1898.— Pro moted July i, 1898. ORLA H. IMAN, Corporal.— Mustered May 16, 1898.— Pro moted July i, 1898. Louis N. KERR, Corporal.— Mustered May 16, 1898.— Pro moted July i, 1898.— Discharged Dec. 30. 1898. MICHAEL J. PURCELL, Corporal. — Mustered May 16, 1898. — Promoted July i, 1898. HENRY HALVERSON, Corporal.— Mustered May 16, 1898.— Pro moted Sept. 3, 1898. 418 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT JULIUS H. HAUSSNER, Corporal.— Mustered May 16. 1898.— Promoted Dec. 27, 1898. WM. M. SHEESLEY, Corporal.— Mustered May 16, 1898.— Pro moted Dec. 27, 1898. ALBERT FENZEL, Corporal.— Mustered May 16, 1898. Pro moted Jan. 26, 1899. THEODORE KANDUL, Corporal.— Mustered May 16, 1898.— Pro moted Jan. 13, 1899. CHAS. W. MAGNUSSON, Artificer.— Mustered May 16, 1898. JAMES M. SLATER, Artificer.— Promoted Feb. 10, 1899. CHAS. ALMQUIST, Wagoner.— Mustered May 16, 1898.— Ap- • pointed Jan. 13, 1899. JOHN J. LAIER, Musician. — Mustered May 16. — Appointed June 27, 1898. PRIVATES. ARNOLD, JOHN. BOHN, FREDERICK. BRABRANT, ERNEST. BURKE, EDWARD. CARNES, CHARLES G. Discharged Jan. 5, 1898. CHRISTIAN, FRANK A. Discharged Jan. 20, 1899. CONGDON, EARL. Discharged Dec. 29, 1898. CARLISLE, FRANCIS. CASPERS, JOHN P. CHRIST, JOSEPH J. COLEGROVE, HARRY. Assistant Cook; appointed Feb. n, 1899. CON WAY, GEORGE. CUMMINGS, HARRY. DALY, MICHAEL. FAUPEL, RALPH W. FAY, JAMES G. GAEDECKE, AUGUST. GUSTAFSON, AXEL. HANSON, WM. D. HAUSSNER, CHAS. JR. HEBERG, OLE. HEIMBERGER, FRED. HENNING, WM. H. HEISS, FRED. HERMSDORF, JOHN. HOLMES, CHAS. O. Discharged Nov. 21, 1898. HOFMANN, CHAS. JAGLER, FRANK. Discharged Sept. 24, 1898. KASTNER, CHARLES H. Discharged Dec. 29, 1898. KERR, Louis N. Discharged Dec. 30, 1898. KERNER, NICK J. H. KING, WALTER. Discharged Jan. 27, 1898. KLEIN, HARRY. KOCH, WM. C. A. Company Clerk, appointed Feb. n, 1899. ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 419 KOTELMAN, EMIL. i-AMPE, ALBERT. LARSON, AUGUST. LAURIA, ANTONIO. LEND, JOHN R. Discharged Oct. 17, 1898. LEYHAN, JERRY P. Died Oct. 12, 1898. LEWIS, JOSEPH. LINDSTROM, RUDOLPH. MAERKER, CHAS. J. L. Transferred U. S. Hospital July 26, 1898. MADDEN, THOS. MARQUARDT, HERMAN. MARTWICK, RICHARD. MAWBY, HARRY. MEHMEL, OTTO. MESSETT, MICHAEL. MEYERS, J. J. MUELLER, WILLIAM. MURPHY, JOHN. MCDERMOTT, GEORGE. NAGEL, GEORGE. NEFF, HARRY D. Discharged Feb. 7, 1899. NEHLSEN, HENRY. NEITHAMMER, FRED. PAULS, JOHN. PAYETTE, FREDERICK. PERRY, JOHN. PETERSON, CHAS. R. PFLEGER, FRED F. PFLEGER, PHILIP H. Discharged Jan. 5, 1899. POSSELT, JOHN G. Discharged Dec. 29, 1898. RODGER s, IHRANK C. RUEGG, FREDERICK. SALVAGE, LEO. SANDSTEDT, AXEL. SCHLADEK, O. G. A. R. SUTHERLAND, JAMES. SZKARPIAK, ALBERT. THIEBEAULT, WM. U THOMSEN, WM. H. WAGNER, CHARLES. WALTERS, WILLIAM. Transferred to U. S. Hos pital Sept. 29, 1898. WAGNER, CHAS. Discharged Dec. 30, 1898. WELTON, CLARENCE W. WELLMAN, F. G. ZEISENHENNA, CHAS. CHAPTER XXX PECULIAR EXPERIENCES AND CHARACTERISTICS You will see by the following table that nearly every nationality on the globe was represented in the Second Illinois at the time of its mustering into service : Grand Totals .. : :§^^t^w^^iriJf*^'~'>~'f')l~'r''l~'OCl~'£r'~'r Field, Staff and Non Com ^^S1 : : H '• w : : : : : : : : : M Averages and Totals ...... Company M. . . Company L. . . . Company K. , Company I.... Company H. . . Company G. Company F. . . Company E. . . Company D. . . Company C . . . Company B. . . Company A. . . 420 ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 421 The recruits who joined the regiment in June, 1898, may have changed the above data a little, but not materially; only in the totals. There were 978 soldiers mustered into the service, and 50 officers, making a total of 1,028. Among these men one might find every profes sion and occupation known to men. Entertain ments never lacked for actors, parties for music, or camp fires for story tellers. In this Major Purin- ton and Captain Thompson always led ; they made the evening gatherings at headquarters in Jackson ville and Savannah most enjoyable. The honors were equally divided between Chief Musician Smith and his band ; Major Purinton and Captain Thompson with recitals of incidents ; Cap tain Swatek our songster; Dickens, Scott, Mark Twain and Joe Jefferson were not in it one even ing after a hurricane. In the camp, near Panama, at Camp Cuba Libre, Jacksonville, Fla., the following story was told on the Major, who never attempted to deny it. Standing out in the wind and rain, wrapped in poncho and Mackintosh, the Major called attention to a wooden shack which he had erected with his own hands, and with a degree of pride worthy of the occasion (for most of the tents and shacks had fallen before the storm), he said: 'There is a shack that will stand the storm. I built it and I know it will stand. If you want anything done right you must do it yourself. I was in the war of the sixties and learned a few things about these Southern storms." Just then the 422 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT LAMPHILIA STREET, HAVANA. cape of his outer garment covered his head to shield him from the mortification of witnessing the down fall of his boarded shack, but when he could see, his shack was ten feet in the air, and it came down in as many pieces. "If you want anything done right do it yourself; it takes an old veteran to build shacks for this climate," was a song ever after. The experience of a recruit is given as follows: 3:10 A. M. — I woke up with a start. Found a man holding a lantern in my face. Badly scared. Thought he might be a Spaniard with a searchlight. "Is there a supernumary in this tent?" he said. I ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 423 said there wasn't. Wonder what a supernumary is, anyway. The Quartermaster didn't issue me any thing like that. Laid awake an hour wondering why he thought I had his supernumary, and what he wanted it for at that time of night. 4:30 A. M. — Was sleeping soundly again, when some guy not ten feet away began to practice on a cornet. Looked at my watch — that's how I know it was 4:30. Before the guy could get his cornet tuned a whole drum corps got into the game. Wanted to see what was the matter, and started to put on my clothes. Stepped on a fellow's foot. Was promptly called a "fool rookie," and told that it was "only first call for reveille." Didn't see what that had to do with cornet and drums, but obeyed orders and went to sleep. 5 :05 A. M. — Woke up again. Every one was jumping around. Thought there must be a fire. The First Sergeant began to call everybody by name. Before I could get more than a shoe and a shirt on I heard him say: "Jimson" and then "John Jim- son." That's me, you bet. Then he yelled out "police duty." Wonder what he means by that. 5:15 A. M. — Some one called out "fall in for mess." They don't have breakfast in the army. Stood in line twenty minutes, and all I got then was some boiled potatoes and a piece of pork on a tin plate. Of course soldiers couldn't expect to have china plates; they might get broken on a long march, but I didn't like the way the cook acted when I asked where the cream and sugar were. He 424 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT just glared at me and said, "What?" Guess Blanco must have cut off the sugar supply. But don't understand about the cream. 6 A. M.— "Fall in for sick call," was the next number on the programme. "That's for me," thought I. I was sick — pork never did agree with me, anyway. But when I remembered the stories I had read about army doctors, concluded that I hadn't anything that needed amputation just then. When the other fellows got back from the hospital they said all they got was sugar pills. Those pills would have been just right for my coffee. Wonder if General Miles knows that we don't get sugar in our coffee. 7 A. M. — Nicely settled down to read the morn ing paper and attend to my correspondence. You bet I'll write my girl a nice — "Fall in for company drill." Great Scott ! Didn't know they started to work so early in the army. Thought that all sol diers had to do was to fix up for dress parade so people could see how fine they looked. But I'm as good as any volunteer in the camp, and maybe the "cap" needs me to help him out in the drill. 8 A. M. — Great Gesar and George Washington, how they drilled us! But I showed up fine, even if the Captain did call me down pretty often. Be lieve he's jealous of me, because when he said "right dress" every one turned and looked at me. But I looked straight to the front as modestly as I could, when the old fool swore at me and made us all look up the line at him. If I haven't as much style as him I'll quit the armv. ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 425 8 115 A. M. — The fellow with the cornet just made another break. "That's 'fatigue call,' " said one of my tent mates. "That just suits me/' said I; "I'm just tired enough for a long rest." And then the whole crowd laughed. Soldiers laugh at every thing. Before they got through laughing an offi cer came up and said that I was on "police duty" for not answering roll call. Then I found out what fatigue means in the army. It means picking up paper and chips, sweeping the ground and washing dirty dishes. Wish I had a dictionary to look up that word again. 8 130 A. M. — Started my letter to Jennie, when the Sergeant called out "Fall in for battalion drill." Holy smoke, what is a battalion drill, anyway? and what has that to do with me? I didn't enlist in any battalion. The First Sergeant says that I had bet ter drill first and kick afterward. Wonder if Gen eral Brooke knows how they run things out here at Jay's Mill. 9:30 A. M. — No more battalion drills in mine! Wonder if the regular army soldiers have to drill for a whole hour at a time, and half the time double quick, too. These soldiers here seem to like to drill; that's why they call them volunteers, I sup pose. I'm not afraid to run and march even in hot weather, but when they make me lie right down on the muddy ground with my new uniform on I think it's time to kick. 10:30 A. M. — They worked the "fatigue" racket on me again. Must think I'm easy. Splitting 426 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT wood isn't bad exercise, though; but don't see why they need one of them corporals over me all the time to boss the job. 12 M. — Had mess again. Know now why they call it "mess" — everything's all together. Not a bad idea, though, when you're hungry. The army is a good thing for your appetite. Missed the but ter for the first time. Didn't see anybody eating pie — so didn't ask about it — afraid they might give me the laugh again. 1 P. M. — Fatigue again. No change in the definition of the word fatigue. It means "dirty work." Can tell now why the fellow with the cor net plays "recall from fatigue." 2 P. M. — Officers all went over to the Colonel's tent. Fellow said it was officers' school. Thought I would go over, too. The Colonel didn't seem to be very glad to see me, and said that I was probably needed over in the company street. Remembered that I hadn't finished my letter to Jennie. The officers seemed to be having a gay time when I left. They were laughing about something or other. 3:15 P. M. — Got a good start on my letter, but decided to stop for a while to see the regimental drill, so I could tell Jennie all about it, when the Sergeant asked me to go along and to help them out by carrying a gun. I went. It was a sham battle and I got excited. We did all sorts of move ments, marched and double-quicked, and then we laid right down on our stomachs and began to crawl like so many snakes. It was hot work, and the 427 438 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT sweat soaked my new uniform, clear through. Didn't get one look at the men we were fighting, and came back to camp disgusted with the army. If fighting Spaniards is half as much work as fight ing sham battles, I shall quit the army and go back to the farm. 4 130 P. M. — Cleaned up the fatigue work which had piled up while we were out for drill. Shall never miss roll call again. 5 130 P. M. — Mess call. Pork and beans; wanted more; no more to be had. 6:10 P. M. — Dress parade. It was just out of sight! Everything was grand until I looked around to see the band, and stubbed my toe on a rock. The whole company walked right over me, and swore all the time they were doing it. Wonder when we get new uniforms. It was a great parade. 9:15 P. M. — Just finished my letter to Jennie. Some fool yells, "Lights out." The idea of having to go to bed as early as this ! Nice thing this volun teer army. Wish I was a regular. Must write to General Miles — there goes the light. — Chattanooga Times. A country farmer who came miles to see the review of the Seventh Army Corps, was thrown into a spasm when his eyes rested on Major-General Lee ; for years he had busied himself in the routine of farm life with no sense of responsibility for anything outside of his fields, stock, and home. "What," said he, "is the war still going on? I heard that Lee had surrendered and the war was over, and here it ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 429 is in full blast. Well, you can't believe anything you hear nowadays !" There are hundreds and thousands who will find themselves as much at sea as this poor man was, who depend upon the newspaper reports for the closing of the Spanish war. Peace may be declared, but the war of civilization is not over. General Lee, relating his experience on the frontier, says the troops with which he had been associated had been having a hard time chasing Indians, and were resting up, about 100 miles away. At this time ten troopers were missing, with their horses, and Lieutenant Lee was placed in charge of a detail and ordered to capture the deserters. At once the party started, following the trail, across the prairie, toward the eastward and Dallas. For hours the riding was hard, and at night the little band was still in the open, and no sign had been seen of the fugitives — only the hoofprints where the horses had passed hours before. The party was allowed to rest just long enough to renew life in the horses, when they resumed the journey. It was night when they reached the little frontier town, but their efforts were rewarded. The ten deserters were all found in one of those canteens for which the West was then famous. They were promptly turned over to the town marshal and locked in jail. It so happened that a strolling* circus had stopped in Dallas that night, and Lieutenant Lee was one among those who crowded the board seats in the big tent. The indis- 43° HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT pensable clown was naturally the center of attrac tion, and years afterward this performer became one of the best known men in the circus ring. A num ber of local jokes were, of course, included in his evening's entertainment, and Lieutenant Lee was praised and made fun of to the delight of the entire gathering. Later the young officer was presented to the performer, and behind the canvas separation between the big amphitheater and the dressing- room the two men, so differently situated, became quite friendly. They strolled back to the hotel- such as it was in those days— and before morning they were sworn allies. During the exchange of confidences Lieutenant Lee promised to send on his horse with the prisoners to a point some fifteen miles further west, where the roads divided, and there the party would wait for the officer, he having agreed to drive out with the clown. The circus was also moving west at day light, and the men expected to overtake their re spective traveling companions. Morning came, and about 9 o'clock the officer and clown breakfasted. A little later the clown announced the arrival of his carriage. Lieutenant Lee had noticed with surprise the number of men and women who had congregated on the street, but he never suspected the cause for such a congre gation. The clown had excused himself some time before, and called from the vehicle to the officer that arrangements were complete. The Lieutenant ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 431 strolled out of the rough building which enjoyed the name of hotel, and was speechless with amuse ment to see his circus friend, fully equipped for the ring, seated on the high seat cf a curious red and blue vehicle which was drawn by half a dozen ponies. Then Lieutenant Lee realized that he had been caught in a trap, and would have to submit to this practical joke. He climbed up to the high seat and perched by the side of the painted clown, who immediately began a comic song and did every thing in his power to attract attention. The town turned out to see the sight, and that departure was a memorable one. The clown w^as not satisfied, but drove the officer across the miles of rolling prairie to where the sunburned troopers had halted. Here Lieutenant Lee was practically turned over to his men with fitting pomp and ceremony. The roads divided, the clown faded away in the bkte line of the horizon, and the young officer gal loped beyond the reach of eye to the cavalry camp. This was General Lee's first visit to Dallas, Texas, and he has never since that day, years ago, ventured into the streets of that little city. The following story shows the spirit of the boys of the Second : Private John F. Rooney of Company H is one of the brightest young men of the Second Illinois, and is detailed to carry the mail to and from the regi ment. He has a sweetheart in Chicago whom he often longs to see, and one day last week he got so anxious to see her and be at home, he wrote his 432 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT father, asking him if he could not do something to secure an honorable discharge from the United States service. The letter in reply was anxiously looked for; at last it came, and Rooney, the senior, said : "My son, we should like to have you at home, but we think you ought to learn to keep your contracts. It will be better for you in the future of life. A manly, resolute adherence to contracts signed will go a long ways toward establishing a reputation that is worth more than money or pleasure." Young Rooney accepted the counsel with a becoming pride in his father, and says: "I could not be hired to cancel my contract- with the War Department of the United States." Poor little Trilby was much loved in Company M. Wherever the men went she was sure to be found, but, like everything else men love in this life, she went away one day at the hand of death, leaving the whole company in tears. She was merely a dog, but she was beloved by every man in the company. She was a mere pup when first pre sented to Company A, at Springfield, 111., and was afterward taken in charge by Company M, being brought here, and grew to be a beautiful dog. The members of the company, desiring to show their tender feelings toward the departed Trilby, took turns in digging the grave, and at 2:10 p. m. the mourners fell in, and the funeral procession was formed. Privates Jagaman and Nehlsen acted as pallbearers, and were followed by members of the company. ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 433 Trilby was lowered into the grave, while Private Brabandt cut a cross in the tree overshadowing the grave, under which he cut the name "Trilby." Then the mourners silently marched back to camp. EXPRESSIONS FROM THE PRESS. "The Second Illinois Volunteers is entitled to and will receive a hearty welcome on its return to Chi cago. So far as its opportunities have permitted, it has made as fine a record as any of the troops that volunteered at the President's call. The most irk some duties that fall to the lot of a soldier have been its share, and it has performed them faithfully and without complaining. "Colonel Moulton has reason for the pride he expresses in his men. They have shown themselves to be w7ell-disciplined and true soldiers. The fact that there has not been a death in the regiment since it left Savannah is the best possible evidence of the efficiency of the officers and the splendid training of the men. They have proved themselves equal to every task given them, and at the same time have kept themselves in excellent health. With all of the drudgery and none of the glory of the war they have been cheerful, earnest, and obedient. "The Second Regiment deserves well of Chicago and Illinois. It has reflected credit on the city and state wherever it has gone and in whatever it has had to do." — Evening Post, Chicago. "The Second Illinois Regiment of National Guard now located at Camp Mackenzie is the crack 434 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT regiment of the State. It has for a long time held a warm place in the hearts of the people of Illinois, and since coming to Augusta they have likewise endeared themselves to all our citizens who have had the privilege of meeting them. "The regular army officers here compliment the Second Illinois in the highest terms. They possess that high order of discipline and efficiency which we rarely find except in the regular army. They are a type of that species of military organization which has always been a bulwark of security in time of peace and a thunderbolt of power in time of war. They have maintained their organization so long that they have the inestimable advantage of cumula tive experience. Camp life is not new to them. "They come from one of the greatest states of the Union. The South is not illiberal and freely concedes the military genius of Grant, whose name has made Galena immortal. In his Mississippi campaign he did — thanks to the fertility of the soil —what Napoleon himself dared not do : broke away from his base of supplies and maintained his army on the products he found. The members of the Second Illinois are the sons of men who knew and esteemed General Grant, and have had the spirit of leadership instilled into them. "It is a great pleasure to have this excellent regi ment with us. It strengthens the bonds between North and South. We understand and esteem each other better. It makes us, more and more, a united ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 435 and hence an invincible people." — The Augusta Herald, Georgia. "During the short stay of the Second Illinois in Augusta the men of the regiment have made many friends and have made a great reputation for their drilling. It had been announced that 'an escort of colors' would be held yesterday and consequently probably the largest crowd of visitors that has ever been on the parade ground was present to witness the maneuver. " The escort of colors' is a movement that had never before been executed in Augusta, and there are few regiments in the volunteer service that have ever taken part in such a maneuver. "At 5 o'clock the companies began to form in their streets and at 5:15 the battalions formed on the parade ground. The band then started, and while Colonel Moulton and staff moved out to take their position on the field the regiment formed in line as if for dress parade. The band then marched down the line and Company H, commanded by Captain Garrity, which had been detailed to have the honor of escorting the flag, dropped in behind the musicians and marched around behind the regi ment in front of the Colonel's tent, where the stars and stripes were floating. "The music then stopped, and the magnificent corps of bugles stepped forward and blew the beautiful color call. By the sound of the drum, the musicians moved forward, followed by the com- 436 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT pany with the flag in the center, borne by the hand some Color Sergeant, Hunter, of Company L. "They moved slowly behind the regiment to the extreme left of the line and then the sweet notes of one of their choicest airs broke forth. "Down the line they came, finally halting just in front of Colonel Moulton, who, with his entire staff, saluted. Again the bugles raised their brazen clarions, the clear notes pealed forth, and, echoing from hill to hill seemed to take pleasure in proclaim ing honor to the flag. The crisp breeze from the east made the bright folds of the colors stand forth trembling in the breeze, and wave over the heads of the escort, speaking protection to all. In the west, the bright azure of the sky was tinted by the glow of the setting sun, and the white clouds drifting across the heavens made the white of God's flag of liberty. To the long line of soldiers standing at attention, it seemed as if the flag of our country floated before their eyes, and in the distance the bright colors of its stripes were reflected on the horizon. "As the notes of the bugles died away the colors advanced to their place in the regiment, Company H took its place in the battalion, the band marched to its station and the end of the escort of colors was applauded by thousands, who appreciated the work done. "It would be impossible to explain all the minute details of the beautiful movement, but it is sufficient ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 437 to say that only the best drilled of regiments could have done as well. "After this maneuver dress parade and a review was held, and the splendid lines of the companies again testified to the ability of the men." — Augusta Chronicle, Georgia. CHAPTER XXXI. THE MUSTER OUT. Before leaving Cuba instructions had been given to get all papers and books in the best possible con dition preparatory for the muster out. Regular army officers came and spent several days giving personal instruction to the company commanders relative to the proper forms. Not knowing the date or place for the final muster out, steps were taken to be ready for any orders that might reach us on our arrival at Tampa, Fla. On the 3Oth of March orders were received to move from Tampa to Augusta, Ga., and prepare for final muster, which was to be April 26th. The company commanders busied themselves to find the best scribes of their companies and then began the tedious yet all important task of making out the final muster rolls. There were six of the rolls to be made. The first was a scratch roll, and was submitted to the muster-out officer for sugges tions and corrections. Then from the corrected roll five others were prepared. One sent to the office of the Adjutant-General, Washington. One to the Adjutant-General of the State from where the troops came. One copy retained, and two copies given to the Paymaster. A muster roll contains 438 ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 439 CUBAN PACK HORSE. everything pertaining to a man's record, descrip tion of the man, length of service, promotions, num ber of days sick, duties performed, clothing drawn and clothing credited, in fact a complete record of the man. None can imagine the amount of work that is required to prepare these even for 1,000 men. All the clerks were set at work preparing examination blanks for the men. The doctors were all under orders to the chief examining medical officer, and none were allowed to examine the men of their own regiments, so that every examination should be free from any partiality, which possibly might be shown by the regimental surgeon. 44° HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT A complete physical record of the man was made, and if he claimed anything he was then referred to a board of three surgeons, who either concur or disagree with the report of the examination as first given. A careful note was made on the margin of every man's paper. These were taken charge of by the mustering officers and sent to Washington, where they will be carefully stored for future refer ence. The company sick books and all regimental hospital books were also sent to Washington. So if at any future time a soldier makes a claim for pen sion the servants of the Government will have before them the soldier's daily health record, sickness, char acter of sickness, number of days sick, and where sick, whether in quarters, regimental or division hospitals. The muster-out process was the most trying service to the commanding officers. There were two officers to whom everything issued to the regi ment was charged, the Quartermaster and Com manding Officer. The Quartermaster had charge of all clothing, tents, cots, stoves, fuel, tools, cook ing outfits, quarters, and lumber issued to the regi ment, and arranged for all transportation. The Ordnance and Commissary Officer had to account for all the guns, bayonets, scabbards, revolvers, swords, belts, blank and ball cartridges, blanket bags, haversacks, mess-outfits, and horse equip ments for the regiment. His commissary duties make him responsible for everything eaten by the men. ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 441 This accountability was then subdivided among all the company commanders. If a company com mander had issued to him 100 guns with ammuni tion and equipment, he was charged with the same, and in turn charged them to the men. The soldier must make good everything issued to him, unless the loss is purely accidental, then a board of survey takes up the matter and if innocent, relieves the officer to whom such property is charged. But, however careful the chief officer may be there is sure to be some shortage during a year's service, and such shortage must be accounted for. Considering the hundreds of thousands of dollars charged up to the regimental Quartermaster and commanding officers, it speaks volumes for them and the efficient business abilities of the men detailed to act under them that all the property was properly accounted for. Such was the record of the Second, that after one year's service, during which time an enormous amount of supplies was handled, that there was little or nothing not readily accounted for. It was this and the management all through, of the regi mental officers which brought forth the favorable comment by the regular army men, who said that the records of the Second Illinois were the best and nearest perfect of any volunteer regiment that had yet been mustered out. This remark was not simply complimentary, but was often used to inspire the officers of other regiments to do better work in preparing their reports, and it is a matter of pride for every member of the Second Regiment that out 442 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT of the 1,300 rolls and discharges there is no sentence or word that calls for an explanation. An honora ble discharge from the United States service is a badge of honor to its possessor, and is a passport to the respect and confidence of every citizen. The last, and to many the most, important item of the muster-out was the pay. The United States Government, by an act of Congress, generously voted to give every man and officer who had served abroad two full months' extra pay as a gratuity. To this was generously added, travel pay, at the rate of twenty miles equivalent to one day's pay. To the enlisted men their pay, plus the ration money, was 82 cents per day. The consideration of mile age was from the place mustered out to their homes. The great majority were mustered in at Springfield, some at Savannah, some at Jacksonville, Fla., and two officers at Havana. The distance from Au gusta, Ga., to their homes, averaged about 900 miles, thus allowing forty-five days' travel pay. The United States Government is to be commended for this generous conduct toward its soldiers, and still the compensation was none too great for those who risked their lives and made sacrifices of their business interests at home. And also in speaking of the generosity of the Government toward its soldiers, it is only just to say, that no army or body of men was ever so welHed, clothed, and paid, care fully looked after, and provided with so many com forts, better attended when sick, and nursed into health, as the soldiers of the United States during WILLIAM McKINLEY, PRESIDENT 443 444 HISTORY OF THE SECOND REGIMENT the Spanish war. All that intelligent care and scientific attainments could offer was done for the comfort of the men in the service. When we com pare the conditions under which our men served with those of the Spanish soldiers with whom we were at war, the contrast grows so great that com parison ceases. It is said that Spain sent 250,000 men to Cuba, one of the greatest armies ever trans ported across the seas. Out of this 250,000 men in Cuba, 80,000 are reported to have died of dis eases and wounds. To properly provide for such an army would have required millions, hence only a small per cent of Spain's soldiers were even properly equipped. The funds sent out by the Spanish Gov ernment too often found its way into the pockets of corrupt officials, The great difference in the equipment of the two armies could never be more strongly evidenced than the comparison we saw of Spain's methods of treating her soldiers in Cuba, and the treatment given the United States soldiers. In conclusion, it is safe to say that no soldier returned from the war without a deeper feeling of patriotism and a more generous view of the great ness and goodness of his own, his native land. 11! RETURN CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT TO— •*> 202 Main Library LOAN PERIOD 1 HOME USE 2 3 4 5 6 ALL BOOKS MAY BE RECALLED AFTER 7 DAYS 642-3405 _^___.. ' DUE AS STAMPED BELOW INlEHUBRARYLUAN JUrt £D IS3U UNIV. OF CALIF., BERi : ..• UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELE FORM NO. DD6, 60m, 1/83 BERKELEY, CA 94720